Esper Reborn
by Quatermass
Summary: Instead of vanishing from existence, Terra's Esper half is pulled between worlds, and is reborn as Lucy Heartfilia in Earthland. With the magical power granted by another lifetime, Lucy now seeks to join Fairy Tail...but even with another lifetime's abilities and memories, is she truly ready?
1. Foreword

**FOREWORD**

Having only recently gotten into _Fairy Tail_ , I have to admit to being impressed by the series, for a _shounen_ manga. A creative fantasy series with a varied cast of characters and plenty of humour, it's already come to be in my favourite manga. So I wanted to do a story of my own.

One thing I wanted to do was to make Lucy stronger. So I decided on a reincarnation fic, having done that with _Black Mage of Kuoh_ ( _Final Fantasy IX_ and _Highschool DxD_ ) and _Yo-Ho, Yo-Ho, An Ashikabi's Life for Me_ ( _Sekirei_ and _Pirates of the Caribbean_ ). I eventually decided, given that Lucy was a summoner of sorts, to make her the reincarnation of Terra, the part-Esper warrior from _Final Fantasy VI_. And this is the result.

Anyway, time for the usual disclaimers. Firstly, spoilers ahoy for both _Fairy Tail_ and _Final Fantasy VI_.

Secondly, there will be heavy annotations, as is usual for my work. No bellyaching allowed.

Thirdly, this is an M-rated work, mostly for violence, and maybe some sexual references. You have been warned.

Finally, the following is a fan-written work. _Fairy Tail_ and _Final Fantasy VI_ are the properties of their respective owners. Please support the official release. Otherwise, Natsu will beat the crap out of you…


	2. Chapter 1: Salamander, Slaver and

**CHAPTER 1:**

 **SALAMANDER, SLAVER, AND CELESTIAL MAGE**

The blonde-haired girl with the green streak in it walked out of the shop with an irritated sigh. For a port town, a place where at least some import and export took place, the magic shop of Hargeon had pretty much crap that she had already bought. And the one thing she had some interest in, she didn't need. Hell, the shopkeeper would only go down to 1000 Jewels, and that was only, with some reluctance, after she gave him a brief, 'accidental' view down her cleavage. She only bought it to keep up appearances.

A commotion drew her attention. A bunch of screaming girls were rushing around, not in a panic, but clearly smitten. The girl frowned when she caught snatches of sentences. Apparently someone called 'Salamander the Fire Dragon', a prodigious fire mage, was in town. It was more curiosity than anything else that led the girl to follow her peers, although she used the term 'peer' loosely.

After all, she doubted any of them had lived before, or at least had another life, on another world.

In this life, she was Lucy Heartfilia, recently having fled her family home thanks to the actions of her father. But not long after her mother died, Lucy regained memories of a life that had gone by, a life on another world. A life where she had been known by the name of Terra Branford. Or rather, she had been half of Terra, the half that was magic, the half that was Esper.

She hadn't had much of a childhood in that life, so she supposed she was grateful to her father treating her better than Gestahl and his underlings did. True, she was treated well in her quarters in Vector, but it hadn't taken long for Terra to realise she was a songbird in a cage, valued more for her magic than for her own worth as a person. The brainwashing in her teens, Kefka cornering her with a Slave Crown…and then, being freed from it.

All those adventures with all those people. The love she had given the orphaned children in Mobliz. The quest to destroy Kefka, and with it, rid magic from the world. Which would mean her own end. A small price to pay, or so she thought.

In the last moments of magic being in the world, Terra was bifurcated. What there was of her human became her own person in the world she left behind, while her Esper half…well, she expected to join her father and the other Espers in whatever afterlife remained…only for her to be wrenched sideways. Even now, she wasn't sure what had happened. And while she had no command of the Espers anymore, she still retained her magical knowledge from that time. And as Lucy, she also had command over this world's equivalent of Espers: the Celestial Spirits, embodiments of the constellations.

Her ambitions were to join the Fairy Tail guild. Okay, they had something of a reputation for wanton property damage, but still, there were many admirable mages in it. Mirajane Strauss was the one Lucy admired most.

As Lucy approached the crowd, though, she felt a familiar pull on her senses, trying to cloud them, and she frowned. A charm spell? Banned ages ago, and yet, this man was using it. True, he was quite handsome, she had to admit, but given all the attractive girls and women he was luring in with the charm spell…well, with looks and smooth talking like this, he wouldn't need a charm spell to get a crowd. No, something was wrong.

Just as she was about to cast an Esuna on the crowd, she was knocked out of the way by a boy a little older than her with messy pink hair, calling for someone called Igneel. Was that the real name of this 'Salamander'? But the boy seemed to think otherwise once he actually saw Salamander. Lucy watched with some amusement as the boy got badmouthed and attacked by the girls and women for his rather tactless words, like refusing an autograph, before Salamander, being magnanimous, gave some kind words to the boy, before declaring a party on his yacht that they were all invited to.

As he soared away on a plume of fire (very impressive fire magic, Lucy had to admit), the boy glared at the Salamander sullenly, along with a blue, talking cat that had accompanied him. "What's his problem?" the boy asked.

"I don't know, but something smells fishy," Lucy said, casting an Esuna on the now-dispersing crowd, just in case. "You noticed that, right?"

The odd pair nodded, only for their stomachs to growl. Lucy realised they looked rather like they had been travelling for a while, and said, on a whim, "You want lunch?"

* * *

That was a decision she'd regret. The boy had the manners of a pig, and the cat wasn't that much better. Their names turned out to be Natsu and Happy respectively. "I'm Lucy," Lucy introduced herself. "You noticed something fishy, right? I mean, apart from what you're eating," she added dryly, looking at Happy, who was eating some fish. "That sort of charm magic was banned ages ago. Are you a wizard too?"

Natsu nodded in mid-chew.

"Well, I am too, but I'm hoping to get into one of the guilds, hopefully Fairy Tail." She didn't fail to notice the odd look in their eyes when she mentioned that. Were they members of that guild, or rivals, or what? She couldn't tell. "Anyway, you mentioned someone called Igneel, right?"

"Aye, Igneel," Happy said as Natsu finished his own meal.

"We heard there was a Salamander in town, but it turned out to be someone else," Natsu said. "And I was sure it'd be Igneel."

"As soon as we saw him, we knew," Happy said.

"How could you tell?"

"He's a dragon," Natsu said.

Lucy looked at Natsu flatly. "A dragon. A _real_ dragon."

"Well, yeah," Natsu said.

After a moment, Lucy pinched the bridge of her nose. As patient as she was as Terra, her life as Lucy had given her a certain sardonic edge. "Leaving aside the fact that few people have seen dragons for centuries, did you ever think that a real dragon would be somewhat conspicuous in the middle of a town? Even if he hadn't knocked down the buildings or set them on fire, he _would_ stand out."

She had to admit, she wasn't encouraged by the looks of surprised revelation on their faces. They hadn't even considered the possibility. "I mean, he can't shape shift or anything, can he?" Lucy asked.

"Um, no," Natsu said, as if _she_ was the idiot here.

"Fine. So…you're a wizard as well. Can I ask for your help? Only, something about that guy claiming to be 'Salamander' has got me worried. He's using charm magic to lure girls and young women, and to a yacht. Does that sound at all suspicious?"

Natsu, after a moment, nodded. "I guess so. But, well…I don't do boats well."

"Natsu gets motion sickness pretty easily. Boats, trains, cars, you name it, he gets sick on it," Happy explained.

Just before Lucy could say anything else, they overheard a nearby woman remarking, "Did you hear about Salamander?"

"Yeah, he's dreamy. That party he's got on, are you going?"

"Of course! It'd be great to meet a Fairy Tail wizard!"

Lucy blinked in astonishment. "Wait, he was from Fairy Tail?" Had she missed her chance to join?

"…No."

Lucy returned her gaze to Natsu, whose expression had become deathly serious. "What?"

"I dunno whether Master Makarov has allowed him in there while I was dealing with the Devon Bandit Clan, but I haven't seen him in Fairy Tail before in my life."

Lucy frowned as she put the pieces together. "You're a member of Fairy Tail?"

Natsu nodded, before shucking off his coat, revealing the vest he wore underneath and baring his arms. And there, on his right shoulder, was a distinctive mark, like a stylised bird. Lucy recognised it as the Guild Mark, a form of magical tattoo. Lucy wasn't sure what to make of that. On the one hand, Natsu hadn't exactly shown off any real abilities so far, not to mention social graces. On the other hand…Fairy Tail was known for their overkill, and she had recently read about their actions against the Devon Bandit Clan…where they had demolished seven homes in the process. "You were the one that got rid of the Devon Bandit Clan…and wrecked those homes?"

"Yeah, well…that was sort of an accident," Natsu said with a rather superficial look of…well, couldn't be said to be sheepishness, more of a kind of amused contrition that was absent of any real guilt. Then, his expression became serious again. "Anyway, listen, if this guy Salamander claims to be a Fairy Tail wizard, and he's doing this crap, then I'm not gonna stand for it."

"Well, I have an idea…"

* * *

Which was to have Lucy approach Salamander's boat and ask him if he could get her into Fairy Tail, while Natsu did the same (thankfully keeping his coat on). 'Salamander' accepted this, though he didn't seem to want Natsu on, despite his earlier magnanimity towards Natsu. Of course, once they were underway, Natsu soon succumbed to motion sickness, and Lucy, wearing a nice formal dress, was escorted further into the ship. Happy vowed to keep an eye on Natsu.

Of course, once he started trying to feed her wine via magic, she knew she had him. She swatted the drops of wine away. As he stared at her, dumbfounded, she said, "Sedatives in wine. Classy. I was onto your game almost from the beginning. At best, you're desperate for a harem. But at worst…you're a slaver."

The handsome man's face twisted into a sneer. "Clever little bitch, aren't you? Except…not so clever, really. I mean, here you are, trapped on the boat while it's already out to sea." Suddenly, Lucy felt her arms grabbed by a pair of burly thugs who had appeared from behind a curtained area behind her. "You'll fetch a high price in Bosco when we make landfall, along with those other little bitches. As for that pink-haired idiot, well, he'll be sleeping with the fishes once I'm done with him. I may not be Fairy Tail, but I'm still one of the best Fire Mages in all of Earthland."

She knew that her smirk would make him unnerved when he saw it. She had deliberately copied one of Kefka's more subtle smirks. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah," 'Salamander' smirked back, before reaching under her dress and fetching the keyring she had on her garter. "What, you getting cocky because you thought you had these as a trump-card? Celestial Wizards may be powerful…but only when they have their Gate Keys. So…" He threw them out the window. "No use to me. And now, they're no use to you."

Lucy chuckled, and now 'Salamander' looked unnerved. "And what's so funny?"

"Your mistake, impostor, is thinking that I need the Gate Keys to defend myself at all." Then, she yelled, "THUNDARA!"

The thugs holding her were suddenly struck by bolts of lightning, and collapsed, juddering and convulsing. "BLIZZARA!" she yelled, and the remainder of the thugs behind her were encased in ice. "DEMI!" she yelled, and 'Salamander' was slammed to the floor by an orb of dark energy. Then, as a final gesture, she charged her power, and yelled, "ESUNA!" A wave of pure white energy washed out from her.

'Salamander' glared up at her from the floor. "And what the hell was that?"

"Esuna is a powerful restorative magic. It can purge most poisons, remove curses…and clears the mind. Which means that your victims are now free from your charm magic."

"So? We're still out on the water, you stupid bitch, and you haven't stopped all of my crew. And that stupid pink-haired kid isn't going to save you!"

Lucy smirked again, before running out the door. As she ran, she called out mentally, _Aquarius? Sorry to bother you, I know you've got that vacation with Scorpio soon, but I need your help right now!_

A quiet sigh of annoyance entered her mind. _Typical_ , came the irritated voice of Aquarius. _Very well, what do you need?_

 _A slaver tried to enslave me and a whole boatful of women. He's claiming to be from Fairy Tail. We're on a boat sailing out of Hargeon, and he's dropped my Gate Keys overboard. When I summon you, could you send the boat back with your wave with a minimum of collateral damage, and bring my Gate Keys back, please?_

Another annoyed sigh. _Very well, but remember, while I'm on vacation, don't call me._

 _I'll try. I don't want to get between you two_.

A faint chuckle. _You'd better not, little sister. And try not to lose my key ever again, even if you don't need it to summon me_.

Lucy nodded. Of the Celestial Spirits she had contracted to her, she got along least well with Aquarius, though at least Aquarius saw her as an annoying little sister at worst, hence her epithet.

Soon, she burst onto the deck of 'Salamander's ship, with Natsu half-leaning over the rail, looking queasy. The women around her were panicking. Happy looked at Lucy from where he was perched near Natsu. "What's going on?"

"They're slavers all right! I'm surprised my Esuna didn't help Natsu. Must be too-ingrained. Anyway, watch this." Lucy held out her hand to the ocean. "I COMMAND THE GATE OF THE WATER-BEARER TO OPEN! COME TO ME, AQUARIUS!"

A blast of light lanced out of the ocean, before finally, a beautiful, blue-haired mermaid, bearing a jar of water, emerged from the waves. She looked at Lucy with a stern expression, but nodded. Lucy looked at Happy and the girls nearby. "HANG ON!" she yelled, as Aquarius summoned up a massive wave that sent the boat careening at high speed towards the shore.

As Lucy got to her feet once they had come to a rest, Aquarius came up, and threw the keys at her. Lucy caught them, and said with a smile, "Thank you, Aquarius. Enjoy your vacation."

Aquarius offered a sardonic smirk as she faded. "Try to keep out of trouble, little sister. Oh wait, that's not going to happen…"

Natsu got to his feet just as Aquarius disappeared. "Ugh…we're not moving anymore?"

"Yeah, and with this boat on the shore, it's sure to get the attention of the local army," Lucy said. "We'd just better make sure these girls get off safely."

"Hold it!" roared the voice of 'Salamander', who burst out, followed by some thugs. "You're going nowhere."

"Funny," Natsu said. "I could say the same thing about you. You're not with Fairy Tail, are you?" He took off his coat, revealing his mark.

"Bora!" yelled one of 'Salamander's thugs. "That's the real mark!"

"I told you not to call me my real name, you idiot!" 'Salamander' said.

"Bora…" Happy mused. "Bora the Prominence was a fire mage expelled from the Titan Nose guild a few years back…"

"Yeah, I heard," Lucy said, glaring at Bora, who matched her glare. "You were expelled for using magic for theft so many times, weren't you? From theft to human trafficking. You've fallen far."

"I don't care," Natsu said, glaring at Bora himself. "But one thing I won't let him do is slander the name of Fairy Tail."

Bora flung a fire spell at them, and Lucy and Happy dived out of the way, though Natsu was engulfed by the purples flames. "Less talking, more burning, brat!" he roared, only to be flung into the wall by Lucy's Thundara spell.

"Natsu!" Lucy yelled at the pyre enveloping the true Fairy Tail wizard, only for Happy to shoot her a look.

Then, from the midst of the flames, Lucy heard Natsu's voice, not in pain, though in annoyance and disgust. "Ugh, this is gross." As the others stared in shock, the fire shrank, revealing Natsu seemingly eating the flames. "Seriously, are you really a fire mage? Only, this is the worst fire I've ever tried. But thanks for the grub anyway."

Lucy stared. Did he _eat_ the fire? But…would that mean he had the innate ability to absorb fire? She hadn't really heard of it happening on this world. "What the hell is he?!" Bora demanded.

"Boss! I know this guy now!" one of Bora's underlings yelled. "Pink hair, scarf with a scale pattern…that's the real Salamander!"

And with that, Natsu breathed a massive gout of flame onto the slavers, before enveloping his fist in fire, glaring at Bora. "Etch this in your memory, you bastard! This is the true might of a wizard from FAIRY TAIL!" And with that, he slammed his fist into Bora, sending the now-hapless slaver through the wall of the ship.

"What kind of magic is that?" Lucy asked Happy in awe.

"Dragon-Slayer magic. He has the lungs of a dragon to breathe fire, the skin of a dragon to withstand fire, and the claws of a dragon to inflict fire. It was meant as a magic to be used against them," Happy said. "That's what Igneel has taught Natsu."

"A bit weird for a dragon to teach a human magic meant to kill them," Lucy said, noting the surprised look on Happy's face. "But look at him now. He's a berserker."

And so he was, causing a number of buildings near the harbour to be wrecked as he beat the crap out of Bora in a fury. Eventually, he finished, only for the army to charge in. Natsu, having grown relatively calm again, grabbed Lucy's hand. "Let's get out of here! If you want to join Fairy Tail, then come along!"

Lucy ran, pursuing Natsu and Happy as the army did so, heading for the train station, and then for Magnolia. It seemed that luck was on her side…but would she regret her decision to join Fairy Tail?

 **CHAPTER 1 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, there you have it. Lucy is Terra, and has command of the entire (standard) magic of** ** _Final Fantasy VI_** **. And she can summon Celestial Spirits without keys. But what about her fellow Espers? And will she regret going with Natsu? Well, all will be revealed later…**

 **No numbered annotations this time…**


	3. Chapter 2: Fairy Tail

**CHAPTER 2:**

 **FAIRY TAIL**

Lucy looked at the façade of the Fairy Tail guild, a smile touching her lips. She was here, she was finally here. The massive, tiered building awaited her. Natsu and Happy seemed confident she could join, so she went along with it.

She soon entered, and as Natsu roared a greeting, Lucy immediately noticed, acting as a waitress, what had to be Mirajane Strauss. Natsu stormed over and punched one of the men greeting him, berating the man for giving him faulty information on Igneel's whereabouts. Which began something of a brawl.

It was hard for her to believe that she was here in Fairy Tail, at long last. Here she was, on the cusp of fulfilling her lifelong dream, and…

"Is Natsu back?!" yelled a dark-haired young man, wearing nothing but his boxers. "Okay, this time, we're going to finish it!"

"Gray, your clothes are AWOL. _Again_ ," said a woman sitting on a nearby table, wearing little more than trousers and a bra. As Gray realised and fled in shock, the woman sighed. "And this is why they say the men here have no class." She then took an entire barrel of what had to be alcohol and began guzzling it down.

A man Lucy recognised as Mirajane's brother, Elfman, went into the fray, only to be sent flying by Gray and Natsu. And then, Lucy saw a handsome young man with brownish-orange hair, wearing tinted glasses and wearing a jacket. She recognised him instantly as Loke, ranked as one of the top eligible wizarding bachelors by Weekly Sorcerer Magazine. He was flirting with a pair of women he had his arms draped around, but Lucy realised she could sense something from him, something she could only sense in person.

 _He's a Celestial Spirit_ , she thought. _And a high-ranking one too. I'd need a Golden Gate Key to get him, but…oh._ _ **Oh**_ _. Well, at least I know where he is now. I'll have to tell Aries. And I'll have to find a way to tell him that I've persuaded the Celestial King to allow him back into the fold_.

"I'm sorry, are you new here?"

The voice interrupted Lucy's thoughts, and she whirled to face Mirajane, who was smiling at her welcomingly. Resisting the urge to fangirl out, Lucy returned her smile, a little shakily, and nodded. "I'm Lucy Heartfilia. And you must be Mirajane Strauss. I admire your standing as a mage."

"Why, thank you," Mirajane said, though there was a faint lugubrious look to her eyes when Lucy said that.

Lucy indicated the brawl that was growing out of control. "Should we stop them?"

"Oh, it happens all the time. It's best to let them get it out of their system. Besides…" Whatever Mirajane was going to say was interrupted when a bottle smashed into her head.

Lucy was on her in a flash, and cast a Cure spell on her. Mirajane blinked, before she said, "That's kind of you. But don't worry, I've been hit worse during one of these. Anyway, as I was saying, it's more fun to let this run its course."

"Scary, more like," Lucy said, before she dodged away from Gray, now completely naked, flying into a nearby table, Natsu triumphantly waving Gray's boxers in the air.

"Dammit!" Gray snapped, before turning sheepishly to Lucy. "Could you lend me your underpants?"

Lucy looked askance at him. "How about no?"

Loke then came along and gently escorted Lucy away. "How appalling, the indelicacy of such men? By the way, are you a model? You look like one?"

Just as it looked like half the guild were going to start using their magic, probably levelling the entire building, Lucy sighed in irritation, before she flung up her hands. "STOP!" Most of the belligerents suddenly froze in place thanks to the spell.

Loke and Mirajane, who weren't targeted, stared at Lucy, who smiled. "It's easy to win arguments this way, don't you think?"

" _Impressive. Most impressive._ "

Lucy whirled at the deep voice, and was surprised to find, somehow, a massive, hulking form over them, looking intimidating as hell. Before she could do more than freeze in place, the hulking form shrank, until it became a diminutive old man, dressed not unlike a jester. "A new face, hmm? It's good to meet you. I'm Makarov, the Master of Fairy Tail. I've heard about the assistance you rendered to Natsu capturing Bora the Prominence. And that was like no magic I have seen before. I was going to scare them into stopping their fight, but it seems that you have your own means of doing so. Would you kindly restore them?"

"Okay. _Dispel_." She waved a hand, and as the fight threatened to begin anew, Makarov cleared his throat pointedly. With everyone's attention on him, Makarov leapt up onto the balcony overlooking the area. His showmanship was spoiled a little when he hit the railing somewhat painfully, but he rallied admirably.

"You idiots are at it, _again!_ I've received more and more complaints from the Council! Gray! While your work in dealing with those smugglers was superlative, you were found stumbling around the town naked, resorting to stealing clothes from someone's clothesline. Elfman! Next time you're a bodyguard for a VIP, try not to attack him, even if he does insult your intelligence! Cana!" This was the woman drinking from the barrel earlier. "I think drinking fifteen full kegs of liquor at a certain tavern, is bad enough, but falsely claiming it as expenses and sending the bill to the Council is not going to cut it anymore!"

"So they found out?" Cara asked quietly.

"Loke," Makarov continued. "What possessed you to seduce Rage's granddaughter? He's a senior member of the Council. And that's without the damages bill a certain talent agency sent us. And Natsu…"

Natsu glared sullenly at Makarov, who continued. "You destroyed seven private homes in bringing down the Devon Bandit Clan! Tuly Village's historic clock tower is no more! Freesia's church is a wreck, and so too is part of Lupinus Castle and the observation deck at Nazuna Ravine! And that's without going into what happened at Hargeon! Alzack, Levy, Krov, Reedus, Warren, Bisca, and so on…all of you have done little but piss the Council off and have them complain to me!" Then, after a pause for dramatic effect, Makarov set the papers in his hand, presumably the complaints, on fire, before hurling them at Natsu, who promptly ate them.

"The Council can eat shit and die, for all I care!" Makarov snapped. "You listen here! Magic may be a power that goes beyond the bounds of reason, but it's still born from reason's womb itself. It's no miracle. Magic is born from the union between our internal energy, and that of the world itself. We pour our very hearts, minds and souls into that magic. And you can't advance your magic if you spent time worry about what some self-important idiots in an ivory tower thought! Follow the path you truly believe in to the end! THAT'S what it means to be a wizard of Fairy Tail!"

There was thunderous applause at that, and Lucy thought that, while she couldn't exactly abide the flippant attitude to collateral damage, she could get behind the sentiment involved. Maybe she had made the right choice after all…

* * *

Given the paperwork to join the guild, Lucy had an excuse to wander around until she came to Loke. He wasn't with any girls at the moment, just lounging around. "Hey, so it's the new girl. Nice magic skills you've got there," he said with a welcoming smile. "Need me to help you out with the paperwork?"

"Actually, I need your help with something else. Or rather, I have something I need to tell you. Something very vitally important to you."

Loke seemed like he was about to flirt with her, until he saw her face. He then looked down at her Gate Keys, and flinched. "You know, don't you?" he asked.

"I'm pretty sure I do. You're Leo, aren't you? And before you ask, I may be a Celestial Wizard, but I'm not out to make a contract with you. I know how the last one turned out, thanks to Aries," Lucy said.

"How could you possibly know that?" Loke asked in anger. "I don't see Aries' Gate Key there."

"The same reason I know you're a Celestial Spirit. I'm one myself." As he gaped at her, his anger derailed, she added, quietly, "Well, something like a Celestial Spirit."

Loke peered at her, trying to discern the truth of what she claimed, before nodding. "I should have known. You do feel a bit like one…if you had a human body rather than a spiritual one. But…different, somehow."

"It's a long story. The short version is, well, I know this is a bit hard to believe, but I'm a reincarnation of someone from another world. A world where magical beings called Espers could be summoned forth to do battle like the Celestial Spirits. My father was one, but my mother was human. Something happened, something that tore me in two. My Esper half ended up passing through the Celestial Spirit World of this world. And then, my soul was reborn into this body. The magic you saw me use on the others is magic from that world. I don't think Earthland has this."

Loke, after a moment, nodded. "It certainly felt very different."

"It is. Many Celestial Mages rely on their Celestial Spirits for attack and defence, but I'm a considerably well-rounded mage. Not as physical as some of these guys seem to be, but I'm pretty good. Anyway, I grew up speaking to the Celestial Spirits my mother left me, and eventually, I discovered that I could pass into the Celestial Spirit World."

"But no human can do that!" Loke protested.

"My soul isn't human, it's Esper," Lucy said. "What's more, I can talk to any Celestial Spirit I wish, as long as they aren't currently in this realm. I don't know where Virgo is at the moment, though someone told me she might be in the service of Duke Everlue. And I can even summon them, as long as they aren't currently summoned by someone else. That's how I knew about Karen. I spoke to Aries about it."

Loke stared at her. "You know about Karen?"

"Enough to know that she did you and Aries great wrongs. If I ever find the mage using Aries' Gate Key, I'm taking it for myself. She doesn't deserve to be treated like that, and neither do you. I've managed to persuade the Celestial Spirit King to rescind your exile. I know you probably won't believe me, but…"

"I'd believe Aries if she could tell me herself. Later…can you summon her so she can confirm it?"

"Yes, if she's not being used. I'm not going to demand that you work with me as a Celestial Spirit, Loke. That's up to you. I just thought I'd let you know."

After a moment, Loke nodded. "I appreciate it. Sorry, it's just that I've had bad experiences with Celestial Mages. But…is your story true? I mean, it's pretty unbelievable."

Lucy chuckled. "Yeah, it is, isn't it? But…it still happened. You don't have to believe me on that part. I think my mother was the only person I told, apart from my Celestial Spirits, and, well, she believed me, but I don't think anyone else would."

"Well, I hope, even if we don't make a contract, that we're good guildmates, Lucy," Loke said with a welcoming smile, a far cry from his earlier lecherous one.

"Anyone I should look out for? I mean, Natsu's pretty hotheaded. So's that Gray guy. What's his magic?"

"Ice Make. That thing with the clothes was due to the training his teacher put him through. And you've seen Makarov use Giant magic. The Strausses are experts at Take Over magic, though Mirajane doesn't really do missions anymore. It's not my story to tell. And there's a couple not here at the moment that you'd have to watch out for. Makarov's grandson, Laxus, who's a pretty arrogant snot, though he can back up his arrogance. And there's Erza Scarlet. She's stern and strict, and pretty much the disciplinarian of this Guild, not to mention a master of Requip magic."

"I see…"

* * *

Soon, under Loke's guidance (he seemed willing to give her the benefit of the doubt), she filled in the paperwork and gave it to Mirajane, who stamped the Fairy Tail emblem on her hand. Lucy smiled, peering at it. She was now officially a member of Fairy Tail.

Mirajane, as Lucy admired the new emblem, asked, "Now that I come to think of it, Lucy, what was that magic you used earlier?"

"Something I picked up. It's useful."

"I daresay it is," Makarov remarked, from where he was perched on the bar. "And Happy told me that you had a considerable rapport with your Celestial Spirit, Aquarius. Reputedly, she is somewhat…fractious with her summoners at times."

"We have an understanding. At the moment, she's going on vacation with her boyfriend Scorpio, so I'd better not get in the way unless it's an emergency," Lucy said with a shrug. "The truth is, I try not to treat them as tools. I had enough of that from my father."

"Jude Heartfilia?" Makarov asked, peering at her. "You've parted ways with him, then?"

"He's an idiot who considers his business more valuable than his daughter…though I overheard him considering plans to marry me off to get more money and influence. I'd rather work for a living away from him than deal with that anymore. Though frankly, he's just cold and emotionally neglectful. He's not bad, just uncaring about my thoughts. Ever since my mother died, he sees the world in assets and liabilities. That being said, if he decides he wants me dragged back to him, I wouldn't be surprised if he hires another guild to do it. I know he's on speaking terms with Jose Porla."

"The Master of Phantom Lord," Mirajane mused.

Lucy nodded. "He's hired Phantom Lord to deal with threats to his business, including breaking strikes and scouring bandits who threatened the railways. He might think I was ignorant of that, but I see and hear a lot more than he thought. It's one of the reasons I chose to join Fairy Tail, actually. You guys are rivals with Phantom Lord, who'd hand me back over without a second thought. Plus, I don't like the look of Porla. Whereas you guys, despite the chaos you cause, you seem to do things right. Just wish Natsu didn't demolish all those buildings."

Makarov chuckled. "I like to think of it as keeping the building industry busy." He then looked up as a small, dark-haired boy with a miserable expression approached. "…Romeo? I know what you want to ask, and no, Macao isn't back yet. Watched kettles never boil, and a wizard's child should stay at home awaiting his father's safe return."

"But he said he'd be back in three days," Romeo sniffed. "It's now been a week…"

Lucy noticed that Natsu, who had been checking a job flyer at the nearby job board, was paying attention. "I believe Macao found work at Hakobe Mountain…" Makarov began, only for Romeo to interrupt.

"Then send someone after him! It's not that far away, and I'm worried!" Romeo protested.

"Have some more faith in your father, boy!" Makarov snapped. "This is a guild for strong wizards, not for crybabies! Go home now!"

Romeo, with a scream of anger, leapt up and smashed Makarov in the face, and scampered out in anger and fear. "Yeesh," Lucy remarked. "A bit harsh?"

"Actually, he's worried as well," Mirajane said.

"Of course I am," Makarov said, rubbing his face. "It's certainly not like Macao to be gone this long. He took a job dealing with Vulcans, I think."

There was a sudden crunch from the job board, and they saw that Natsu had punched the job flyer he'd been looking at into the board, forcing it into a crack he made. He then strode out. "Oh dear," Mirajane said. "I think Natsu is about to try and rescue Macao."

"Should we stop him?" Lucy asked.

"No. Natsu's like Romeo himself," Mirajane said. "Did he tell you about Igneel?"

"Only that he taught him Dragon Slayer magic," Lucy said.

"Well, it's more than that," Makarov said. "Igneel raised Natsu from a very young age. He educated him on writing, culture, and magic."

"Not social graces, though," Lucy remarked. "But we're talking an actual dragon, right? But didn't they disappear centuries ago? I mean, aside from Acnologia?"

Makarov nodded solemnly. "I still believe Natsu was raised by Igneel. There are too many points in his story that ring true. In any case, Igneel suddenly disappeared one day, and Natsu was left alone."

"And he's been searching for his father ever since," Mirajane finished. "We may be a happy bunch, Lucy, but all of Fairy Tail is living under a cloud to some degree or another, with painful pasts."

Lucy sighed quietly. Like it had been back home. Natsu put her in mind a little of Gau, the feral boy of the Veldt, abandoned by his father. And the rest of her friends from that time often had troubles. Locke was trying to revive his lover. Celes was betrayed by the very Empire she served, as was Leo, even if he didn't join the Returners in earnest. Cyan lost his family and the kingdom he guarded. Setzer gambled and adventured to forget his own lost love. And Terra…the girl she once was…she was born in a gilded cage, forced to kill for the Gestahl Empire at the orders of Kefka…

And that was before the end of the world, triggered by that insane clown.

Lucy decided that she would follow Natsu. Partly to prove herself to Fairy Tail, but also to ensure that this boy had some closure, one way or another…

 **CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, Lucy's joined Fairy Tail, and is about to venture with Natsu to save Macao.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	4. Chapter 3: Vulcan Hell

**CHAPTER 3:**

 **VULCAN HELL**

After consulting briefly with Makarov and Mirajane, Lucy had taken a coat with her. Natsu didn't really care about the cold, but apparently, despite the fact that it was summer, there were unseasonable blizzards on Hakobe Mountain. She and Natsu, along with Happy, were travelling in a horse-drawn carriage.

"You know," Lucy said as Natsu groaned, lying across a bench across from her, "you should try a ginger pill."

"Doesn't work…" Natsu groaned.

"Why? Have you tried everything that can treat motion sickness?"

Natsu glared balefully at her, or tried to. Unfortunately, it was hard to look genuinely threatening when you looked nauseous. "It's what Igneel did to me when teaching me Dragon Slayer magic. My senses are like a dragon's…and that means ultra-sensitive."

"I get it," Lucy said. "Which means your sense of balance is especially thrown out of whack by motion. What about flight?"

Happy shook his head. "When I fly him, he's okay. I think it's because dragons are used to flying."

"Anyway, why did you come along, Lucy?" Natsu said, before gagging briefly.

"A few reasons. I want to help that kid out, and besides, two mages are better than one, right? Plus, this is a chance for me to show Fairy Tail what I can do. Anyway, my magic also includes healing magic, so if Macao's hurt…"

"Good idea!" Happy chirped. "I saw you use that 'Cure' spell on Mira."

"There's three levels of that spell. The magic I use, aside from the Celestial Spirits, is battle magic. Many of them have multiple tiers. For example, when I was fighting off those slavers Bora employed, I used Thunder and Blizzard magic, specifically second-tier. So, first tier Thunder magic is simply 'Thunder', second tier is 'Thundara', and third tier is 'Thundaga'. I have those tiers for the elements of lightning, fire, and ice magic, along with curative magic. Here, let me test something. _Esuna_."

The restorative spell enveloped Natsu, who sat up, blinking. "Whoa, the motion sickness is gone."

"I tried it on you before, and it didn't work. Maybe it's only temporary, as your motion sickness is innate to your physiology."

Natsu nodded. "Yeah, I can feel it coming back. But…how often can you cast that?"

"Not that often. I have a fairly large pool of magic power, and it's not that magic-hungry, but if you are already succumbing to it, I don't think I can help. Maybe I could use a Stop spell to freeze you in time until we get to our destination…"

Natsu just shot her a glare.

* * *

She hadn't felt this cold since Narshe. At least being told about what the area was like allowed Lucy to get some warm clothing in advance. Natsu, for some weird reason, shunned the use of even a jacket, just wearing a vest and trousers. She had wonder, then, why wear that coat when she first met him?

Even so, the blizzard they were currently trudging through was unseasonable for the summer. As they walked along, Lucy asked, "Makarov said that Macao was looking for Vulcans, right?"

Natsu nodded. "Yeah, I think there was an infestation of them recently." He then bellowed into the blizzard, "Oi! Macao! Are you there?! Or has a Vulcan killed you?"

 _Tactful_ , Lucy thought. But Natsu's shouts did have unexpected fruit: a mound of snow bulged and rippled, disgorging the distinct simian features of a massive, hulking Vulcan, a horn poking out from its head. It reminded Lucy a little of their belligerent Yeti companion, Umaro, back when she was Terra. Natsu dodged an attack from the beast, only for the beast to notice Lucy, and charge over.

"A human girl!" the thing grunted, a lecherous look on its simian features.

Part of Lucy, the part that was still capable of coherent thought, marvelled at the fact it could speak. Then again, some Vulcans could, apparently. The rest of her recoiled in disgust and horror at the lustful look on its face, and she snapped out her hands. "Thundara!"

The hulking beast was hurled back by the bolt of lightning. She held back the power a little because that part of her that was coherent knew that, if it could speak, it might have enough intelligence to tell them what happened to Macao. She relayed this to Natsu, who nodded. "Good thinking!" He then glared at the Vulcan. "Okay, you've got one chance. We're looking for a human man. Have you seen him?"

The dazed Vulcan got to his feet, and looked thoughtful, before gesturing Natsu forward. "Man? You want know about man?" When Natsu got close enough, the Vulcan batted him away and hooted in mirth. "Me not like men! Me like girls!"

"Then you're gonna love me," Lucy muttered, before she yelled "GRAVIJA!"

An orb of dark energy formed above the Vulcan, only for it to dodge. It charged at her, grunting, "You mine! You mine, girl!"

 _Okay. Time for Plan B_ , Lucy thought, before she summoned up a familiar energy, and let it surge through her body. The power of Trance, unleashing her full Esper form.

The Vulcan skidded to a halt, and stared, its lecherous expression growing even more so. She knew why. It effectively made her naked in the middle of a blizzard, but that didn't matter. Her body was glowing magenta, her hair becoming a mane down her back. Tufts of violet fur stuck out around her body. Her eyes had become golden and inhuman, her hands and feet bestial paws. Her face was still recognisably human, even if slightly more animalistic.

Even so, that was no excuse for Natsu to come charging out of the snowdrift and try to attack her. As she dodged, he yelled, "Dammit, more monsters! Hold still!"

"Natsu, it's me!" Lucy yelled in annoyance, her voice distorted by her transformation. "I'm using one of my powers. It's called 'Trance'."

"Aye, it's true!" Happy yelled. "I saw her do it!"

 _And you couldn't have spoken up earlier, because…?_ Lucy thought, only for the Vulcan to lumber over, and peer at her.

"…You ugly now. Look nice again!" the Vulcan said petulantly.

"You're the ugly one!" Natsu roared, before smashing the Vulcan with a burning haymaker.

"Natsu, can you eat any magical fire?" Lucy asked.

"Well, duh."

"Okay, think quick! FIRAGA!" The fire spell engulfed Natsu in flames that would have scorched almost anything else. But almost as soon as the conflagration burst into life, it was gobbled up by Natsu, who grinned.

"Thanks for the grub. Damn, that's some of the tastiest fire I've ever eaten," Natsu said. And with that, he began dashing around the Vulcan, before sending him skyward with a punch. Lucy took to the skies, and met its eyes.

" _Gravija_ ," she hissed. And then, an orb of dark energy enveloped the Vulcan, who screamed in pain as it was slammed to the ground by the gravitational force of the spell.

Lucy noticed that the creature wasn't getting up. It looked pretty battered, in fact. "Is it still alive?" she asked.

Natsu nodded. "Just out cold. Hang a mo, what's happening?"

When Lucy swooped down for a closer look, she saw the Vulcan glowing, and then, its skin began to change. In a flare of light, a handsome man with short dark hair, and looking the worse for wear, appeared. "That's Macao!" Happy yelped.

"Take Over magic," Lucy mused. "I didn't know Vulcans could do that." She landed next to Macao and checked him over with Scan. "He's pretty badly wounded," she said quietly.

"Can that magic you were talking about do anything?" Natsu asked.

"It should be. _Curaga_." A whitish green glow enveloped Macao, and his wounds closed. His face screwed up in pain.

Natsu winced at his comrade being in pain. "If you didn't do that…well, that wound on his stomach, I would've had to cauterise that shut."

Macao regained consciousness, his eyes flickering open. "…Natsu?" he rasped. His eyes flickered over to Lucy. "And you…are…?"

"Lucy Heartfilia," Lucy said, coming out of Trance, as the immediate danger seemed to be over for the time being. "I only just joined Fairy Tail. Are you okay, Macao?"

A painful laugh wormed from his lips. "Whatever healing magic you used, it can't heal my wounded pride, and my shame. I managed to get nineteen of those bastards. But the twentieth used Take Over magic. I can't face Romeo like this, a failure."

Twenty Vulcans…all on his own. Okay, Lucy, as Terra, had done not dissimilar feats, but even so, it was still amazing. Okay, he could have died thanks to the twentieth one, but even so…

"Shut up!" Natsu snarled angrily. "You're not gonna die here! We're taking you home right now! Got it?!"

* * *

And so they did. On the trek back home, Macao revealed his reasons for taking on the job: Romeo had been bullied by some children, who had badmouthed wizards in general, and Fairy Tail, and Macao, in particular. Romeo had asked his father to prove himself with an amazing job. No wonder the poor kid had been distraught: he probably thought he had sent his father to die.

They soon got back to town, and they found Romeo, who looked delighted to see his father back, though it then fell into tears. He hurried over and embraced his father. "Dad, I'm sorry for…"

"No, I'm sorry I worried you, son," Macao said quietly. "But next time those brats make fun of you, ask them whether their dads could take down nineteen monsters solo. Just say that."

Romeo nodded, smiling again, before saying thanks to Natsu, Happy and…even Lucy. Lucy smiled as she waved farewell to father and son. Hopefully, they could spend some time catching up…

* * *

Back at Fairy Tail, while Natsu and Gray embarked on more bickering, Lucy went over to talk with Mirajane and Makarov, telling them about what happened. Happy came over too, wanting to avoid any potential fight between Natsu and Gray. It was Happy who told them about Lucy's Trance ability, which got Mirajane and Makarov interested. "And what do you do when you enter Trance?" Makarov asked. "Is it Take Over, or general transformation?"

"It's more like an innate transformation," Lucy said. She eventually decided to tell Makarov and Mirajane what she had told Loke, so she paid for Happy to have some fish, and go elsewhere. She then told Makarov and Mirajane a little of her past, in generalities.

Makarov frowned. "Another world, you say? While I cannot talk about the existence of reincarnation, I do know about the possibility of other worlds. So your magic belongs to another world entirely?"

"Yes. It's mostly combat magic. An Esper, as I said, is not dissimilar to a Celestial Spirit. It means I can effectively summon them without a Gate Key, though I try only to summon those that I have a Gate Key for, as a courtesy. I can also communicate with them while they are in the Celestial Spirit Realm. I can even pass through it, despite being human."

Mirajane looked impressed, but also pensive. "What did it feel like going into Trance for the first time?"

"…Terrifying," Lucy said bluntly. "I didn't know what I was at the time, and I lost control, flying far away. It took my friends finding the Magicite, the corpse if you will, of my father to get me to come to terms with myself."

"I'm sorry. I…I'm familiar with that sort of thing," Mirajane said quietly.

Makarov nodded solemnly. "Mirajane, like her siblings, are masters of Take Over magic, like the Vulcan you encountered." He looked at Mirajane, who shook her head. "Her story is hers to tell, though, and you are still a newcomer, though I have to congratulate you on working well with Natsu. Perhaps before long I could recommend you for the S-Class mage exam. However, power isn't everything. Even with memories of a past life, you still need experience."

"I know, I know. I'm not going to risk my life foolishly, not to mention anyone else's life." She looked over at Natsu, who had finished bickering with Gray, and was eating something burning. "Natsu, though…"

"Yes, Natsu is impulsive and reckless, even by our standards," Makarov said sagely. "But he is also one of our finest warriors, who would never turn down someone in need. He's also very principled, though if I were you, when I find somewhere to stay in Magnolia, I would make it as secure as possible. Natsu doesn't really have a concept of private property, and would break into a friend's house and mooch off them if he felt so inclined."

"Noted," Lucy said.

* * *

Later, Lucy sat down next to Loke. "You okay?" she asked.

"As much as I can be," the Celestial Spirit said. "I mean, you gave me a lot to think about, but I know the King. I know how he treated what happened with Karen. And don't get me wrong, Karen was a bitch, but she didn't deserve to die because of what happened."

"Mistreating Celestial Spirits like she did?" Lucy asked. "Aries told me what happened. Okay, I had to coax it out of her, but even so…you aren't tools, you're people, no matter what anyone else thought. Maybe she didn't deserve death per se, but she was long overdue some karma. Believe me, I spent most of one life being exploited. I don't like people who do that. I can forgive them if they repent, but…" She shook her head. "Never mind. I can summon Aries later, in privacy. Then, you can decide whether you want to make a contract with me."

Loke nodded solemnly. "All right. Later tonight, I'll get you to bring Aries out. To be honest, I think my time is getting close. I'm not sure how much longer I can stay in this realm. If the King has rescinded my banishment…then maybe I can forgive myself for what happened, even if you think there's nothing to forgive."

Lucy thought about that. She understood where he was coming from: Celestial Spirits were meant to be loyal to those who summoned them, so causing, even if indirectly, the death of their summoner was anathema. But she also felt he had been punished enough. He would punish himself from now on, through self-reproach, even if she personally thought he didn't need to.

Still, if Lucy was lucky, she'd get a new Celestial Spirit out of this. Even if Loke didn't agree, though, she had the feeling she had made a friend of him for life, and that was even more valuable…

 **CHAPTER 3 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **The Vulcan incident admittedly didn't fill up much wordcount, hence Makarov and Mirajane, as well as Loke. I'm intending for a Lucy/Loke ship in this story, actually.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	5. Chapter 4: Literary Larceny

**CHAPTER 4:**

 **LITERARY LARCENY**

Mirajane had helped Lucy find a nice house not far from Fairy Tail. In fact, she suspected real estate was as cheap as it was because the infamously rowdy guild was nearby. After Makarov's warning, Lucy also installed some security spells. It cost a little extra, but she got the feeling that the results would be hilarious.

And so it turned out to be, one day, when she was having a nice hot bath, only to hear a yelp of surprise, followed by some thumps. She snickered, and took her time finishing her bath and getting dressed, before leaving the bathroom and finding Natsu tied up on her couch, with Happy trying to free him, without any success. She was glad she had locked away her manuscript of the novel she was writing from these nosy parkers. "Good morning," she said pleasantly at her unwanted guests. "I see you've decided to attend my extra credit tutorial on the nature of property and trespassing."

Natsu scowled at her. "What's the big idea?!"

"The big idea, Natsu, is that I was told you had a bad habit of not respecting boundaries and property. This is the inevitable consequences of doing so."

"But we sneak into places a lot to steal stuff," Happy protested. "Well, for a few missions, anyway…"

"If we're doing a mission, fine, if the victim deserves it," Lucy said. "But doing it to your friends is, at best, extremely bad manners. At worst, it's basically acting like a thief. The courteous thing to do is knock on the door. This is basic stuff, you must understand."

Natsu scowled, as he burned the ropes away. "You tied me up."

"What we have here is failure to communicate," Lucy snarked(1).

Natsu huffed as Lucy began making tea. "Well, I wanted to know more about your magic. Like the stuff you used when we were saving Macao, or the key-guys you had. I only saw that fish-girl."

"They're not 'key-guys'," Lucy said exasperatedly. "They're Celestial Spirits."

"And how many do you have?" Happy asked.

"Six. Well, seven now," she said. She wasn't going to tell them that she could summon any of them, unofficially. They didn't seem to understand discretion, even in a dictionary sense of the word.

She thought back to how she had summoned Aries to talk to Loke. The two had a fairly long conversation, one Lucy let them have in private, before Aries departed for the Celestial Spirit Realm once more. Loke seemed relieved, and while he was yet to agree to act as a Celestial Spirit for Lucy, it was definitely on the cards. He just needed to think about it first. And Lucy was perfectly fine with that. No matter what some people thought, Loke was a person first, and a Celestial Spirit second. The only people he confessed his status to were Makarov and Mirajane, who at least understood the nature of discretion, and even if he didn't make a contract with Lucy, he certainly intended to help her anyway as a friend. He had made a quick sojourn into the Celestial Spirit Realm to recharge his batteries, so to speak, as well as confirm the rescinding of his exile.

Lucy plucked her Gate Keys out, and spread them on the table. "Four of them are Silver Gate Keys. You can get them fairly easily in magic stores. Aside from the Canis Minor one I got in Hargeon, I also have Horologium, Crux, and Lyra. Horologium summons a clock I can use to shelter from the elements or attacks, but only for a short period of time. Crux can get me information on other Celestial Spirits and summoners, but he's a bit cryptic. Lyra has knowledge on some archaic magic, but her best talent is as a harpist, playing songs to lift moods. But I can only summon her a few days in a month due to our contract."

"Contract?" Happy asked.

"I'll get to that. I also have three Golden Gate Keys. They're extremely rare. Taurus is a pervert, but he's also very powerful. He looks like a bull standing on his hind legs, wielding an axe. I'm telling you that, Natsu, because I won't have you attacking my Celestial Spirits like you nearly did to me on Hakobe Mountain."

Natsu rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine. Anyway, which one is the one with the fish lady?"

"Aquarius, the Water Bearer," Lucy said, pointing to the right key. "Aquarius…is a bit temperamental. We're on good enough terms, but I can't just summon her on a whim. She's actually on a holiday with Scorpio at the moment, so she's unavailable. The last one I have is Cancer, the Crab."

Natsu and Happy perked up at this. "Crab?"

"You can't eat him," Lucy said with a scowl. "Anyway, I really should have done this days ago. I need to make a contract with Canis Minor's Celestial Spirit, Nikora."

"But what happens if the contract goes into arrears?" Happy shrieked.

"A contract in your rear? Ouch," Natsu muttered.

"No arrears or rears are involved," Lucy said, her annoyance growing. "Nikora is fairly popular as a Celestial Spirit pet. He may not look like much, but don't ever underestimate a Celestial Spirit."

Actually, Lucy had been in contact with Nikora beforehand, and had already discussed the particulars of the contract. This was just sealing the deal, so to speak. Plus, she wanted to see the looks on Natsu and Happy's face when she summoned Nikora…

* * *

They were astonished, admittedly, when she brought out the strange but cute creature with the pointy nose. That being said, Natsu, after a certain point, began to seemingly talk with the Celestial Spirit. Lucy frowned when she heard his words in English via telepathic link.

 _Maybe you guys should be a team or something! I mean, that's what wizards do, right? And you and Lucy seem to get on so well_.

Natsu looked unusually thoughtful, before he said, "I'll admit, Lucy, I'm glad you came with me to save Macao. Your magic really helped out. I mean, you're a bit of a weirdo, but I trust you."

 _Weirdo? Pot, meet Kettle, have I mentioned how black you are this morning?_ Lucy thought to herself. Out loud, she asked, "So, you want to be a team?"

"Yeah! Actually, we've got this job lined up!" He handed over a leaflet, presumably from the job board, and Lucy studied it.

It was in Shirotsume Town, and apparently it was to retrieve a book from the library of Duke Everlue. Lucy groaned inwardly when she saw the familiar picture of the squat, dumpy, and grotesque features of the Duke. The man was an infamous pervert and lecher. And according to the job, apparently he was on the lookout for a new blonde maid.

"And you're blonde, Lucy!" Natsu said. "You can go in in a maid costume!"

"Aye! Great idea!"

" _Bad_ idea," Lucy said in a firm tone, shooting down that notion. "Leaving everything else aside…well, I heard some things about the Duke. It's true he's a lech…but he's got a particular fetish, so I heard."

"A maid fetish?" Happy asked.

"No. Or maybe yes, but…I heard he likes women who are as ugly as he is," Lucy said with a grimace. She knew because her father had put serious thought into marrying her off to Duke Everlue, only to hear about Everlue preferring grotesquely ugly women. Not that she was supposed to know about that, but she had overheard him. "Not only that, but…I think he has a Celestial Spirit of his own: Virgo."

Natsu nodded. "Okay. Still, you in?"

"Why not?" Everlue, from what Lucy heard, was one of the worst nobles around anyway, throwing his figurative and literal weight around. "Let's go…"

* * *

As Natsu suffered from his usual affliction of motion sickness, Lucy peered at the flyer again. "So, we've got to meet up with Kaby Melon, right? I wonder if he's any relation to Zekua?"

"Zekua?" Natsu groaned.

"Zekua Melon," Lucy explained. "I'm a pretty big fan. He's a famous novelist who used to be a wizard. He committed suicide years ago. He wrote under the pen name of 'Kemu Zaleon'. Other than that, I don't know much about him. He was a pretty private guy, apparently, despite his fame as an author. In fact, we're being asked by Kaby Melon to retrieve a book, and the going price is pretty high for such a thing, even stealing from someone like Duke Everlue. Maybe it's one of Zekua's unpublished manuscripts…"

* * *

The man who greeted them at a rather opulent mansion in Shirotsume Town was a tall, thin middle-aged man with a thin moustache, who brought them into a living room to discuss the matter. After introductions, Kaby said, "My request is somewhat simple, even if the means of achieving it won't be. Duke Everlue possesses the manuscript of an otherwise unpublished book, _Daybreak_. I want that book destroyed in any way possible."

"You don't want it stolen?" Natsu asked.

"While it could legally be considered theft and destruction of property…" Kaby began, leaving it up in the air.

"Well, we could always raze the building to the ground," Natsu chuckled in anticipation, only for Lucy to shoot him a glare.

"And get thrown into prison for sure?" Lucy rebuked him, before looking at Kaby. "You say we need to retrieve this book for 200 thousand Jewels."

"Actually, you must have taken the job before I posted an increase in the reward," Kaby said. "The bounty is now two million."

Lucy gaped. "…Two million?"

Natsu and Happy tried, unsuccessfully, how to split it three ways, while Lucy just looked at Kaby. "You must really want it destroyed. Natsu, can you wait outside for a moment? And don't go there yet."

Natsu seemed set to yank Lucy off her feet and go haring down to the mansion of Everlue, but eventually nodded, and walked out the door. Lucy then met Kaby's gaze. "I'm going to go out on a limb here, and guess that you're a relative of Zekua Melon, better known as Kemu Zaleon. Am I correct?"

Kaby looked shocked, before nodding. "Most people don't know my father's real name."

"So _Daybreak_ is a novel he wrote?"

" _Forced_ to write. I cannot prove it, but I'm certain that Duke Everlue kidnapped my father, imprisoned him, and forced him to pen the novel. He disappeared for three years, then came back. I found out the truth from him later, but…from what I heard, Everlue forced him to write a story with the Duke as the main protagonist. He didn't tell me why he agreed: he claimed it was the pay, but I think, in retrospect, Everlue may have threatened him."

Lucy frowned, before remembering that she had a special recording Lacrima with her. She usually used it for making notes if she didn't have a pen or paper, but… "…In the unlikely event that I can get Everlue to confess what he did to your father, would that be good?"

Kaby gave a painful smile. "I doubt that you can, but if you can manage that, on top of destroying _Daybreak_ …I'd be grateful. Be wary, Lucy. We've already sent one guild team in, and they failed. Everlue has already beefed up security substantially. I know we're asking a lot of you, but…"

"We'll do it, don't worry."

* * *

Lucy had to think about the matter as she went with Natsu and Happy to the mansion. They were going to try sneaking in first rather than trying Natsu's 'maid disguise' idea. But she wondered, why was Kaby so determined to destroy his father's last work? Shame, probably. He seemed haunted, and while he didn't say anything out loud, he seemed to indicate regrets about how he treated his father in his dying days.

Lucy knew that Zekua had committed suicide. Maybe something Kaby said drove Zekua to do so, which would explain the regrets. Or maybe Zekua killed himself out of shame of writing such a book for Everlue.

Still, Lucy was intrigued. Before they destroyed the book, she intended to have a look through it first. There was something about this situation that prickled at her mind. And if Everlue had committed wrongdoing, well, she had a Lacrima ready to record his misdeeds.

Lucy thought back to her earlier life as Terra, to how Relm was conscripted by Owzer to do a painting. Not quite as bad as Duke Everlue, true, but even so, that situation found a resonance with her. Hopefully, they would have to deal with a cursed manuscript to go along with a cursed painting. Then again, knowing their luck, maybe that would happen…

She just jinxed it, didn't she?

 **CHAPTER 4 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Yes, you have, Lucy.**

 **So, Duke Everlue's gonna get robbed. And Lucy, it seems, suspects something of the true story behind** ** _Daybreak_** **…**

 **1\. This is a famous quote from the film** ** _Cool Hand Luke_** **.**


	6. Chapter 5: Dear Kaby

**CHAPTER 5:**

 **DEAR KABY**

The mansion of Duke Everlue was opulent, magnificent, and grand. It reminded her uncomfortably of her old home, uncomfortably because of what her father made her home into. Then again, for all her father's faults, at least his mansion looked tasteful. This…well, while grand, it also seemed rather gaudy, especially in comparison to the mansion they had met Kaby in.

And that was another thing. While Kaby had confessed what his father did, Lucy couldn't help but shake a gut feeling that there was more going on. She wanted to take a look at _Daybreak_ before destroying it. Hell, she wanted Kaby to do the deed himself. Even if there was nothing more to _Daybreak_ than a horrendous novel, Kaby could do with a personal catharsis.

Zekua Melon was noted for clever use of anagrams in his works. And there was something about the title _Daybreak_ that was bothering her.

Not to mention the fact that Virgo was working for Duke Everlue. Which made things even more dangerous. And Everlue could potentially retain the services of another guild to act as his bodyguards and assassins.

Which was why they carefully climbed up to a second storey window, and entered, Natsu melting a hole in the window with his fire magic. They were in a storage room of some kind. Quietly, she said to Natsu, "The most likely place will be in the library, but we'll need to be quiet. Like ninjas."

"…So, we wear bright orange 'target practise' clothes and eat ramen?" Happy asked, wearing a skull on his head.

"Where did that come from?" Lucy asked.

"The skull or the orange clothes?"

"The latter for now."

"No reason."

As they walked out, Lucy noticed a glimmer in the eyes of a wolf pelt draped over a crystal ball. They found themselves on a balcony overlooking a hall, only for a quintet of maids to burst out, their leader, a grotesque mountain of a maid, roaring, "THERE THEY ARE! EXTERMINATE THE INTRUDERS!"

Quickly, Natsu swept them down to the floor below with a burning kick, and Lucy muttered, "That's torn it. Quickly, in here!" She dragged Natsu into a nearby room, locking the door. However, she noticed that, serendipitously, they had ended up in a large private library.

"Do you think it's here?" Natsu asked.

"It's possible," Lucy said, starting to look at the shelves. "Though I'd be impressed if he's even read half of them, even all. Looking for _Daybreak_ in all this…a needle in a haystack comes to mind."

Natsu more or less ignored her as he began looking through the books, commenting as he did so. He found a porn one, Happy found one on fish…and then, they found a golden one. "Hey, Lucy!" Natsu yelled, waving the book.

Lucy wheeled to face him, only to find that he clasped _Daybreak_ in his hand. "Here, give me a look at it before you burn it. We'll take it back and have the client do so."

"Oh dear, oh dearie me…bo yo yo yo…" That voice came from cracks in the floor that weren't there a second ago, before the rotund, potato-like form of Duke Everlue burst out of the floor. "You petty criminals were after _Daybreak?!_ How very rude, and yet, I allowed you enough rope to hang yourselves from! My genius knows no bounds, bo yo yo yo! And yet, you're after a worthless book? Still, I can't let you have what is mine…or tarnish my treasure with your filthy plebeian fingers! Vanish Brothers, come forth!"

A nearby pair of shelves split apart, revealing a pair of forms, one tall with a prominent nose and dark spiky hair, the other average, bald with a ponytail, tattoos on his face, and what looked like an oversized frying pan on his back. "Time to earn our pay," the bald one said.

"Yeah, our mother wants us to work for our bread. These brats are Fairy Tail wizards?"

"They're from Southern Wolf, a bodyguard mage guild!" Happy warned, pointing to the wolf-like symbols on their armbands.

Lucy began flicking through the book. The story seemed appalling, with strange word choices, and yet, there was something there. As Everlue roared out orders for the twin bodyguards to kill them, Lucy fled for the door. "Natsu! Buy me some time! I think there's a secret!"

* * *

Lucy was never so glad to have bought some Gale Force Reading Glasses, allowing her to read books at speed. Having made it into the sewers in the basement of the mansion, she began reading through _Daybreak_ , ever aware that either the Duke or his minions would find her. But her hunch was correct. They needed to bring this back to Kaby first.

Just as she stood up, she sensed just in time the Duke's arms reaching out to grab her from the wall. She managed to dodge them. "Ooh, you have Gale Force Glasses? Bo yo yo yo…an avid reader…now, what did you find? What is the secret of the book you found? I MUST KNOW IT!"

"For a duke, you're scum," Lucy sneered, putting a hand in her pocket and activating the Lacrima. "You're an enemy of good literature everywhere."

"How dare you?! My education was of the highest standards, as high as I could afford!" he roared as he emerged from the wall.

"Whereas your standards for your maids is pretty low," Lucy snarked.

Everlue's face twisted in anger. "You libel-ridden chit! Do not mock my lovely ladies! Now, tell me, what is the secret? Is it a treasure map to Zaleon's fortune? You'd better tell me, you uppity girl, as I had Kemu Zaleon write it, and if it has a secret, then it is mine!"

Happy flew in. "Oh, Lucy, you're fine!"

"For the moment. Is Natsu okay?"

"Aye, as far as I know."

Lucy grinned, pulling out the Gate Key for Cancer. "Here's the deal, Everlue. Let us take the book away, and you get away with your hide intact."

"Bo yo yo yo! You may be a Celestial Wizard, but you seem to think you are bargaining from a position of strength. You can't defeat my Diver Magic!" And with that, he disappeared into the sewer floor.

As Lucy dodged away from the Duke trying to attack her, she snarled, " _Daybreak_ 's little more than terrible self-insert fiction with you as a main character!"

As Everlue pressed his attack, he snarled back, "I'd make a great hero! But Kemu Zaleon insulted me by penning such a load of excrement!"

"Quality tends to go down when you write it under duress," Lucy snarked. She needed to get him talking before she made any moves to defeat him, get him to confess to his crimes. "You have some nerve, acting all high and mighty."

"I have no need to act!" Everlue sneered. "To write for me is a high honour indeed."

"You blackmailed him into doing so," Lucy retorted.

"Blackmail is such an ugly word. But the fault is his for refusing to do it in the first place!"

"…Your logic is insane."

"I am the most important person in this area, and yet, the fool refused to do as I ordered! Of course, I gave him some incentive out of the goodness of my heart: write it, or I would revoke the rights of citizenship for him and every member of his family!" Once more, Everlue dived into the floor like a bloated porpoise.

"Revoke those rights? But he couldn't join any guilds at all," Happy said, appalled. "Does Everlue have the power to do that?"

"Some places are still under feudal law," Lucy said quietly. "If he's telling the truth, he does have that right, as much as it sickens me." She dived away as Everlue attempted to grab her again.

"Oh, that foolish ingrate wrote it in the end," he sneered, "but his prior recalcitrance roused my anger. So, I had him write it in a setting of perfect isolation, with no disturbances to his muse. In solitary confinement in MY DUNGEONS! BO YO YO YO!"

"You know, you have only the second most annoying laugh I have ever heard," Lucy snarked, thinking back to Kefka.

"Silence! Anyone who is insolent to me, from a lowlife who calls themselves a 'distinguished author' to a weak little girl playing at being a wizard, I'LL BREAK THEM!"

"You _bastard_ ," Lucy said quietly. "You tortured him for your own vanity. Three years he spent, battling his own pride, warring between his concern for his family and his integrity as an author."

Everlue hopped out of the floor completely, staring at her. "You voyeuristic bint…how did you learn this?"

"It's in the book. It may be nowhere near the quality of his normal work…but he cast a spell on this book."

"WHAT?! You mean he concealed his hatred for me with a spell?! What an insult!"

"Oh, that's not the full purpose of the book. It has what you did to him…but there's more to it. This book doesn't belong to you. It belongs to someone else. Oh, and incidentally…" Lucy held up the Lacrima. "Thanks for confessing your crimes."

Everlue panicked. Lucy, meanwhile, used the Cancer Gate Key. "OPEN! GATE OF THE CRUSTACEAN PALACE: CANCER!"

Appearing in the sewer with them was a tall, stylishly dressed man wielding scissors, wearing sunglasses, a sextet of crustacean legs protruding from his back, and a hairstyle that resembled crab claws. "It's a crab!" Happy cheered. "Is he going to end his sentences with ' _kani_ '? For 'crab'?"

"Lucy? What hairstyle do you want, _ebi?_ "

Which meant 'shrimp'. Lucy said, "No hairstyle. Just take down the ugly one with the bad hairstyle."

"Got it, _ebi_."

"Two can play at that game!" Everlue snarled, pulling out a Gate Key of his own. "I won't let you leave this place alive, not now that you can sink me! I COMMAND THE GATE OF THE VIRGIN PALACE TO OPEN: VIRGO!"

The hulking maid from earlier appeared. Oh, that was Virgo? "You called for me, Master?" boomed the massive maid.

"Take the book back, and destroy them!" Everlue roared, only for Everlue, Lucy, and Happy to stare in shock. Natsu was clinging onto Virgo.

That wasn't possible, though. Humans normally couldn't pass through the Celestial Spirit Realm, and Virgo had to go through there in transit to here. Her thoughts, however, were broken when Everlue yelled, "Virgo, I order you to destroy these pests!"

Natsu promptly smashed the Celestial Spirit to the floor with a burning punch. Lucy, meanwhile, pulled out her whip, and lashed out, grabbing Everlue. "You're not going to ground anymore. CANCER!" She swung Everlue through the air, and Cancer intercepted the rotund Duke, attacking him. He plunged to the floor, his hair wafting off him.

* * *

Later, they were heading back. The authorities had been summoned, and arrested Everlue when they heard the evidence on the Lacrima. Lucy and Natsu, however, had unfinished business with Kaby Melon. With Everlue brought into custody, his contract with Virgo was broken, and Lucy now had another Gate Key to her name.

Once back with Kaby, she began explaining it. "I know you wanted it destroyed, but something occurred to me. I'm not saying you should read it as it is now. But…I think he meant it for you."

"For me? But he told me himself that it was trash." Kaby sighed. "Thirty-one years ago, my father reappeared after three years. He didn't answer my questions at first, instead saying he would never write again, before he chopped his right hand off with a cleaver. Sometime afterwards, we had an argument while he was in the hospital. He seemed oddly happy, and refused to answer me why he wrote this book. I regretted my last words to him, as shortly afterwards, he killed himself. I hated him for a time, but it became regret. To destroy _Daybreak_ was to be my atonement."

"Maybe…but I think he meant it for you. Hold it, please. Before you set it on fire," Lucy said. "Trust me."

Kaby, reluctantly, did so, only for the book to start glowing. As the letters on the cover lifted off and began shifting around, Lucy said, "Your father was fond of anagrams and encryption. He cast a spell on his last book. _Daybreak_ , Everlue's little self-insert fantasy, was really _Dear Kaby_."

And indeed, that's what the title of the book ended up as. As Kaby and his wife stared in shock and wonder, along with Happy and Natsu, the book opened, and letters and words filled the air in a display of light and magic, before reassembling themselves. "It's not that he wrote an awful book. That's not why he declared he would never write again. He had written his best, most personal work. A book of his life and times and travels. All for you."

As the spell finished, Kaby caught the book, and began weeping. "…I never understood him as well as I should've."

"That's why reading books is fun," Lucy said.

"Thank you," Kaby said. "I won't burn it after all."

"Well," Natsu said, "we can't accept the payment, either." As Lucy looked at him, Natsu said, with a shrug, "Well, our mission was to destroy it, and we've failed."

Lucy sighed. He had a point. And it wasn't like she went away without anything. She had Virgo's Gate Key, at long last…

* * *

As it turned out, Kaby had actually been living in the house of a friend to make it look like they had the money for the mission. Natsu had noticed that they smelled differently to the house. And he pointed out that accepting the money after a failed mission would bring shame on Fairy Tail.

Kaby didn't have much money, despite being the son of a famous author. But in truth, the book he got was priceless. And Everlue was being carted away in chains.

The magic on _Daybreak_ had lasted for three decades. And Lucy found that admirable, given her own inclinations to literature. Maybe she could follow in his footsteps. Her story, the story of her life as Terra, was nearly finished. Maybe one day she could publish it…

Yes, one day.

 **CHAPTER 5 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, there goes the Everlue/Daybreak arc.**

 **The bit about the Lacrima recording came from Gilgamesh The King of Heroes' Nasuverse crossover** ** _Lucy the King of Heroes_** **, which heavily inspired this fic.**

 **I cut out Natsu's fight against the two goons because this story is mostly from Lucy's POV. And she wasn't fighting against the Duke much because she's trying to get evidence of his wrongdoings. We'll have more Terra goodness in the next chapter…and the debut of Erza!**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	7. Chapter 6: Erza and Lullaby

**CHAPTER 6:**

 **ERZA AND LULLABY**

Not long afterwards, Lucy was peering at the jobs board at Fairy Tail. She had made a contract with Virgo, who had reverted to a pretty, demure, pink-haired maid, having changed shape to suit Everlue's perverted desires. Virgo, oddly enough, seemed to have BDSM tendencies, of the submissive kind.

In any case, she was looking at the jobs. Search for a magic bracelet, removing the curse from a staff…is that a request for an astrological forecast? Volcanic devils?! Out loud, she remarked to Mirajane and Loke, "Pretty varied missions."

"If you want to accept any, let me know," Mirajane said. "Master Makarov is away at the scheduled Regional League of Guild Masters meeting."

"The League's directly under the Magic Council, right?" Lucy asked. "The Council is both an administrative body and a judicial one. They can stand trial over wizards who've committed crimes."

Loke whistled. "You did your homework, Lucy. Not many newcomers know that."

Mirajane nodded. "Of course, you've got the bad apples."

" _And they will come for you_ …" hissed a malevolent voice behind her. Yelping, Lucy instantly used a Blizzard spell on the offender.

Lucy wheeled to find Natsu encased in ice. "Don't scare me like that, Natsu!"

As Natsu broke free of the ice, scowling that his prank had backfired, Mirajane said, "Well, pranks aside, the bad apples are called the Dark Guilds."

"Outlaw guilds," Lucy recited. "They disregard the laws of the land, particularly those to human life. Murder, rape, human experimentation…"

Mirajane nodded. "Impressive. But yes, that pretty much sums them up. Mad, bad, and dangerous to know…"

* * *

Loke and Lucy decided to go off into a corner near a window, while Natsu and Gray began bickering again. "So, do you feel up to making a contract with me yet?" Lucy asked.

"Still thinking about it," Loke confessed. "Karen, she…she left a few scars. But I'm leaning towards accepting it. But only if we're partners."

"You've got it," Lucy said. "I'm not going to rush you. I now have four Golden Gate Keys, thanks to Everlue being arrested. I'm in no hurry to add to my stable."

"Yeah, Natsu was bragging about you getting Virgo. She turned into a gorilla thanks to Everlue. Ugh. Just thinking about that makes me cringe." He looked over at the brawling Natsu and Gray. "And speaking of things that make me cringe, I wish those two would give it a rest." When he looked outside the guild, though, he froze. " _Shit_. EVERYONE, CALM DOWN! AND STOP FIGHTING, NATSU AND GRAY! ERZA'S HERE!"

Lucy looked out where Loke was staring, and saw a woman in armour striding down the street, carrying a massive horn with just one hand. _That's Erza Scarlet?_ Lucy thought.

As she walked in, Lucy noted the details. The red hair framed a beautiful, but somewhat stern and hardened face that reminded Lucy a little of Celes. Her armour was Heart Kreuz brand. Despite the fact that she was probably about Lucy's age, she walked with a gravitas of someone far older.

She put the horn down, shaking the guild as it hit the floor. "I only just got back. Is the Master here?"

"Welcome back, Erza!" Mirajane said. "And no, he's at the League meeting."

"I see."

"Erza…what is that thing?" Loke asked, shivering.

Erza glanced at the Celestial Spirit. "It used to belong to a monster, before I took care of it. The villagers were kind enough to decorate it for me, and I thought it looked interesting, so I accepted their gift. It's not in the way?"

As the others denied that hurriedly, Lucy watched on. Erza obviously commanded a lot of fear and respect, and if she could vanquish a monster that huge, it was understandable. "Incidentally," she said, "I've heard you have been causing more trouble. The Master may tolerate your antics, but I won't. Cana, cut down on your drinking, and get some decent clothes on. Visitar, dance outside so you don't traumatise us. Wakaba, use an ashtray, not the table, if you must smoke indoors. Nab, either take a job, or don't malinger near the board. Seriously, do I have to do everything? Well, for today, I'll let you be with fewer lectures."

"That was less?" Lucy asked, _sotto voce_. "Is she like the disciplinary committee for this guild?"

"Sort of. I got a little too persistent with her. She beat the crap out of me. Natsu challenged her some time ago and got the same treatment, and she took issue with Gray walking around naked," Loke said quietly.

Looking at Natsu and Gray pretending to be friends while Erza looked at them sternly, Lucy said, "Given how scared they look, I can believe that."

Loke chuckled. "Erza is one of our S-ranked wizards. Her cognomen is 'Titania', or Queen of the Fairies."

Erza was saying, "Well, it's good that you two are friends, because I have need of your assistance. While I was out on that last job, I heard disturbing rumours. As I cannot ask Master Makarov his opinion, I feel this situation needs to be addressed as soon as possible. I want you two to come with me on the morrow."

As Natsu and Gray stared in astonishment, Loke gaped. "Whoa. I don't think Erza's ever asked someone to come with her on a job before."

Mirajane came over. "No, it's unprecedented. It must be something bad to have worried Erza. Lucy, will you go with them? Those two tend to fight, and they need a gentler mediator than Erza."

Story of her life, Lucy thought. Back in her old life, she had played peacekeeper between the others. There was that one time when Cyan and Celes nearly came to blows when Cyan's hatred for the Gestahl Empire boiled over, despite Celes' defection, or Edgar flirting with the wrong person. Actually, Loke reminded her quite a bit of Edgar, that mix of handsomeness, nobility (when he wasn't flirting), and lecherousness. And the empathy. Edgar, after all, was one of the first people to show her kindness after her Slave Crown was removed.

But yes, she saw her point. And if Erza was one of the best mages here, then maybe Lucy could really show off her skills. Though if Erza was concerned enough to need Natsu and Gray's help, they might need Lucy's help as well…

* * *

It was later that night that Lucy, oddly enough, was approached by Erza, the stern knight sitting down next to Lucy as the part-Esper finished off her meal. "You are Lucy, aren't you?" Erza asked after Lucy finished. "I am Erza Scarlet. Good to meet you. I've already heard stories about you."

"All good, I hope?" Lucy asked.

Erza smiled slightly. "You stopped a melee in here with unusual magic. Given that they tend to get more rowdy when I am absent, I'm grateful. Plus, Natsu was telling me about your exploits, though he does mangle the story, somewhat. Is it true that you transformed to take down a Vulcan?"

"Yes."

"And you managed to figure out a secret behind the last novel of Zekua Melon, as well as take down Everlue. That's good. Natsu is not stupid, but he's rather direct, and doesn't think the same way as most people. Plus, he and Gray are hotheaded, to say the least. We could do with someone like you. Mirajane told me that she wants you to come with us. Keep in mind, it will be dangerous. Do you know who Erigor is?"

Lucy, when she heard the name, shivered. "Please tell me that's not who I'm thinking of."

"Who are you thinking of?"

"Erigor, the Reaper. The strongest member of Eisenwald after its Master was arrested, and its de facto leader now. They were ordered to disband, but Eisenwald became a rogue Dark Guild," Lucy said quietly.

Erza nodded. "Sadly, I think we will be going up against Eisenwald, and with them, Erigor. Are you still willing to come along with us?"

"Yes. If they really are with Eisenwald, a Dark Guild, then we need to stop them."

Erza smiled. "Then your resolve is admirable, Lucy. I'll brief you three in the morning while we're on our way…"

* * *

Lucy was up bright and early the next morning, though having to deal with Gray and Natsu bickering was irritating as they went to Magnolia Station. They soon met Erza, who brought a lot of luggage with her. Natsu demanded that, in exchange for helping Erza out, they have a rematch of their earlier battle, to which an amused Erza accepted.

They soon boarded the train. While Natsu groaned from his motion sickness, and was knocked out by Erza, Lucy mused. "So, I'm told you're a master of Requip magic, Erza. That means switching out weapons and armour on the fly via magic, right?"

The redhead nodded. "Of course, if you want pretty magic, Gray has you covered. Gray?"

Gray nodded, forming a Fairy Tail emblem out of ice. "Nice," Lucy mused. "That's Ice Maker magic, isn't it? Actually, you're ice, Natsu's fire, that'd explain a lot about why you two are at odds."

Gray snorted, while Erza just shook her head. "Well, it's time I briefed you. On my way back from dealing with that monster, I stopped by Onibas, and at a bar where wizards gather. I noticed a bunch of shady types discussing something. Something about a seal on something called Lullaby."

"Lullaby?" Lucy murmured. The name stirred some recollection in her mind, but when Erza looked up sharply, Lucy indicated for her to continue.

"Anyway, some guy called Kage seemed confident that he could break the seal and return within a few days with Lullaby. I didn't hear about Erigor until later, otherwise, I would have cut them down where they stood," Erza said, gritting her teeth.

* * *

They pulled into a station at Onibas, and as they walked out of the station, their luggage in tow, Erza said to them, "Remember, Erigor the Reaper is not someone to be trifled with. Neither is Eisenwald. They were expelled from the League and ordered to disband six years ago, and have resisted attempts to stamp them out."

"What are we going to do?" Gray asked.

"March on Eisenwald," Erza said, her tone brooking no argument. "We're here because this is closest to their last known whereabouts."

And that was when Lucy remembered. "Oh _no_ ," she murmured.

"What?"

"Lullaby…I remembered. I thought it a story, but…Lullaby is a flute, a magic flute. Those who hear its song falls under a death curse. What's worse…it can be used to kill multiple people at once," Lucy said. "It used to be just a tool for death curses, but legend has it that the Black Wizard Zeref boosted its power. It takes the form of a flute with a skull-like ornament with three eyes."

"This is serious…" Erza muttered. "An instrument of mass-murder, quite literally, not to mention a relic of Zeref. And Eisenwald has its eyes on it."

It was then that Lucy noticed that they were lacking a comrade. "Natsu's not here!" she yelped.

"Damn! We were so engrossed in the briefing, Natsu was left on the train!" Erza snarled. "It must have already departed! I should have kept a closer eye on him!"

"I'll go and fetch him!" Lucy said, transforming into her Trance form. Erza and Gray looked startled at the change in appearance, as did the people in the street. "I can fly in this form! If you can get the train to stop, all the better!"

"Got it!" Erza said, nodding.

And with that, Lucy flew into the sky, before heading for the train line. Of course, landing on the train while it was moving was going to be tricky, hence her order to Erza. She knew a lot of people would be staring at her, but she needed to get Natsu before he got into trouble.

* * *

The train was already a good chunk of the way to Kunugi when Lucy caught up with it. She managed to get onto the rear of the train, and opened it, charging down the train cars, looking for Natsu, the passengers staring at her as she stormed through.

And when she found him, he was in trouble. A dark-haired man was sneering at him. "You wanna know what we call you idiots at Fairy Tail? Flies. Lookie here, I'm swatting you." He laughed jeeringly as he lightly but condescendingly slapped Natsu's head. Natsu made to attack, only to gag on his bile. The man laughed. "Wow, great magic. You want to see some?"

"Yes, I do," Lucy growled, her transformed voice adding a bestial reverb to it.

"What the…?" the man began to yelp, only for Lucy to slam him in the face with a Thundara spell.

"Who are you? Are you with Eisenwald?" Lucy growled.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" the man sneered, before his shadow lunged forward and smashed her in the chin, sending her flying.

 _Damn, I underestimated him!_ Lucy snarled in her mind as she shook her head, trying to clear it. _But if I use the wrong spells here, I risk destroying the train. And I can't use my Trance form for too much longer. Getting to the train quickly used most of my reserves_.

Suddenly, the train lurched, and then, the man's bag fell onto the floor, revealing a flute adorned with a skull with three eye-sockets. Lucy looked up at the man. "So you _are_ with Eisenwald," she snarled.

The man snatched it up. "Dammit, you saw it, but…" Suddenly, he was smashed away by Natsu, who was in a rage.

"That was for beating the crap out of me!" Natsu yelled. "Right back at ya! That's what happens when a fly swats back."

The man bounced away through the carriages, smashing through a connecting door, before skidding to a halt. But as he struggled to his feet, the PA for the train announced that the stop signal was a false alarm, and that the train was about to pull away. "Okay, better get going!" Natsu said, dragging his luggage from the rack.

"Oh no, you don't!" the man snarled. "You attacked a member of Eisenwald! I will swat you, you stupid fly!"

"Not if I do it first," Lucy said, before she felt her transformation fade, and with it, much of her power.

"Let's go, Lucy!" Natsu yelled, grabbing her despite her protests, before glaring at the Eisenwald member. "And I'll bury you for insulting me and Fairy Tail!" With that, he pulled Lucy out of the window of the train just as it began moving away…only to nearly get run over by an Onibas Motors driven by Erza, her magic powering the vehicle from a wrist strap connected to the vehicle.

As they rolled to a stop on the ground, Lucy hit Natsu on the head. "You MORON!" she snapped, angry at him. As the car skidded to a stop nearby, Lucy yelled, "That was one of the people we were supposed to find!"

"…What? Why didn't you say so?" Natsu demanded petulantly.

"Because you didn't give me a chance to say so!" Lucy yelled. As Erza, Gray and Happy approached, Lucy looked at them. "There was an Eisenwald goon on the train, with Lullaby. Flame Brain here took me off the train before we could catch him!"

"Natsu, you imbecile!" Erza said, slapping Natsu so hard, he skidded down the road several metres. "I told you we needed to look out for Eisenwald."

"He was out cold at the time. I tried to explain it to him, but…" Lucy shook her head. "We need to catch up."

"Can't you fly again?" Gray demanded.

"Flying drains my Trance ability more than my magic, especially flying at speed," Lucy explained. "I can reuse it soon, but we'll have to save it for when we get into battle."

Erza nodded, gesturing for them to come back to the car. "We'll have to follow them, and hope we can find them before they can use Lullaby…"

 **CHAPTER 6 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So yeah. Oh, don't worry, Lucy/Terra will get her chance to shine. But she can't be invincible, so I've put this in that flying at high speed drains her Trance quickly.**

 **Review-answering time!** **A fan** **: Natsu is an idiot, though he finds it useful. Makarov and Mirajane have already had the reaction offscreen. As for the sword thing, well, Lucy will eventually use a sword, but she is more content to use her magic and her whip. That being said, Erza will get her to do a spar in a later chapter. As for a Trance being overkill, well, there is no such thing as overkill, just 'open fire!' and 'I need to reload!'**

 **Akuma-Heika** **: Gravija is canon to the re-releases of** ** _Final Fantasy VI_** **(Diablos teaches it), and the name is used alongside the Demi spell name in other games (** ** _Final Fantasy X_** **, for example), so there. It reduces HP to 1/8th of the current level.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	8. Chapter 7: Swansong

**CHAPTER 7:**

 **SWANSONG**

They found themselves learning at Kunugi Station that Eisenwald had hijacked the train, booting off the passengers, and making off with it. The army was investigating. "Why a train?" Lucy mused. "You have a great deal more freedom to travel with a carriage or a car like this, or a boat."

"It's obvious," Gray muttered grimly. "Trains have the advantage of speed. They're trying to get somewhere quickly enough to do maximum damage."

"The army's been called in, so they should be caught soon," Lucy muttered. "Or at least located."

"I hope you're right, Lucy," Erza said as they drove away. "The next station is Oshibana, and that's quite a large town. If we're lucky, they'll have stopped there…and we can get to them before they can figure out how to use Lullaby…"

* * *

As they skidded around a corner, heading through the outskirts of Oshibana, Gray yelled, "Erza, slow down! The SE plug is swelling!"

"Let it!" Erza snarled. "If they play Lullaby, people will die _en masse_! And we don't know exactly what they want! It could be just an attack on the populace, or maybe they have political targets in mind! We may be in for a lot of strife!"

"And if you push this thing too hard, you'll use up your magic! We may need that!" Gray snapped.

"I'll fight them with a damned splintery stick if I have to, and in any case, I have you to watch my back!" Erza snapped back.

* * *

They found themselves outside Oshibana Station, where a large crowd had gathered. The army was cordoning off the area, and a station guard was announcing some cockamamie story about maintenance dealing with a derailed train. Erza pushed through, the others in tow (including a part-comatose Natsu), and demanded, of the guard, "What's the situation?!"

"Who're you?" the guard asked, only for Erza to headbutt the man.

"Erza!" Lucy protested.

"I need someone with quick answers!" Erza snapped, and seemed about to repeat, only for her next target to yelp.

"Okay, okay! An army platoon went in to face off against attackers from Eisenwald, but hadn't returned!" the guard babbled. "The Eisenwald guys haven't come out either!"

After a moment, Erza said, "We're from Fairy Tail. We'll try to deal with the situation." And with that, she marched up the stairs, Lucy and the others following.

As they did so, Lucy noted the soldiers, some dead, others injured, sprawled on the stairs. "An entire platoon wiped out?" Lucy asked.

"Their opponents were the entirety of a wizard guild," Erza noted grimly. "Ordinary soldiers couldn't take those on…"

* * *

They headed to the platform, finding the Eisenwald members gathered near the train they hijacked, with a thin, lanky man wielding a scythe perched on top of the train. Lucy recognised him from descriptions of Erigor. "Welcome, Fairy Tail," the man said contemptuously, peering at them with sunken eyes. "We've been eagerly awaiting your arrival."

"Erigor," Erza muttered.

Lucy hurriedly began jostling Natsu awake, only for the familiar voice of the man who had attacked her and Natsu on the train to sneer, "You pesky flies! Because of you, I…"

"Calm down, Kage!" one of his comrades snapped.

Natsu began to sit up. "That voice…"

Erza glared at Erigor. "And what are you after? Your answer determines what I do with you."

Erigor sneered. "We're just playing. We don't get much work, so we've got time to kill. Oops, bad pun." As his guild laughed, Erigor used wind music to fly into the air. "Of course, you idiots are really dense if you don't realise how special this station is." After a moment, Erigor flew over to a PA loudspeaker, saying, "Bzzt! Time's up!"

Erza and Lucy caught on simultaneously. "You're going to broadcast Lullaby!" they yelled simultaneously.

Erigor laughed, his malevolent mirth echoing around the stilled station. "How many people are gathered outside? Hundreds? Thousands? If I play it loud, over these speakers, those imbeciles will be dropping like flies! Maybe the whole town would die off!"

"You bastard!" Erza snapped. "You're talking about mass murder!"

"I'm talking about a purge!" Erigor sneered back. "The removal of people who don't know or care about the removal of the rights of others! They tout their own rights and only work to preserve their own way of life! It's a sin to live in ignorance of the follies and inequalities of this world, and the Reaper will mete out this just punishment! AND THE SENTENCE IS DEATH!"

As Erigor perched near one of the massive windows, Lucy retorted, "This is rich, coming from the people who take others' lives with abandon! Hypocrite!"

"Pot, meet Kettle," Erigor laughed. "We're here for our right to rule, and when we do, we can turn the past into a palimpsest, and take absolute control of the future!"

Lucy, after a moment, said quietly to Erza, "Can you fly?"

"No."

"Okay. I can, and I'm ready to try Trance again. Do you want me to teach him the gravity of the situation?"

Erza shot Lucy a smile. "By all means…but be careful. He's not called the Reaper out of hyperbole."

"Oh no you don't!" Kage yelled, about to hit her, only for Natsu to attack.

With that, as Natsu and the others prepared to fight, Lucy called up to Erigor, "Okay, you've got a choice. Either you come down here and fight like a man, or I come up there!"

The Reaper of Eisenwald sneered. "Big words, little girl. I want you to try and bring me down to your level."

"Right." And with that, Lucy leapt into the air, falling into Trance, and speeding at Erigor, whose eyes widened comically as Lucy yelled, " _Demi!_ "

The dark orb of energy pressed Erigor to the ledge in front of the window. As Lucy landed on the ledge, he grunted, "What…what the hell was that?"

Lucy didn't respond, save by intoning, " _Stop._ " Erigor froze. And then, Lucy began rifling through his clothes. It took some time, but she finally managed to fish the Lullaby flute out. She then flew out into the middle of the station. She held it up. To the Eisenwald members who stared at her in astonishment, she yelled, "You see this? Well, say goodbye to Lullaby!" And with that, she tossed it straight up into the air, and then concentrated, before unleashing her most potent spell on it.

" ** _ULTIMA!_** "

The glowing orb of azure energy enveloped the demonic flute, raw magical power growing in size, before detonating in a brilliant flash, the explosion pushing Lucy back, as well as shattered the windows of the station, glass raining down everywhere. Shrieks from the Eisenwald mages, pretty amusing considering that they were willing to be party to mass murder, erupted.

But as Lucy blinked the flare of light from her eyes, she realised that it wasn't going to be easy.

The flute was charred, smoke pouring from it…but not ordinary smoke. It was an oddly-coloured smoke. And the flute itself seemed to be twisting and warping as she watched. Then, as it began to fall, it snarled, in a flanging, demonic voice, " _You…you shall be the first I will feast on!_ "

Lucy watched in horror as the flute began changing, growing in size until it became a twisted, demonic form that reached up to the vast roof of the station platform they were in. It looked like something grown out of gnarled wood, with three eyes set in a leering face, holes in its torso and arms, hunched over. " _And you will be but the beginning! I will feast on the souls of everyone here, in this station, in this city, and across the world!_ "

There was only one answer Lucy had to such a pronouncement, even as she saw Erza change her armour in a strobe of light.

" _Flare._ "

Orange particles of energy coalesced around Lullaby's demonic form, only to explode outwards in a contained magical explosion. Erza, now equipped with winged, rather exposing armour, surrounded by swords, began attacking. Natsu and Gray leapt into the fray themselves, while most of Eisenwald, Lucy noted with disgust, were either cowering or fleeing. However, the one named Kage, after a moment's hesitation, attacked Lullaby.

Suddenly, Lucy found herself grabbed from behind. "You bitch," Erigor's voice snarled. "You tried to make a fool of me, Erigor the Reaper. Well, I…GURK!"

The reason for his interruption was that Lucy had used a Thundaga spell on him, causing the Reaper of Eisenwald to convulse, and then drop to the ground, whereupon one of his underlings caught him. Lucy fired off another Stop spell to keep them from getting away, before she returned to the fray, firing off spells at Lullaby.

"INSECTS!" Lullaby roared. "I WILL MAKE A FEAST OF ALL YOUR SOULS!"

"NOW!" Gray yelled, and with that, Gray, Erza, Natsu, and Lucy fired off their strongest attacks, Lucy firing off another Ultima. The beast roared in agony, before it stiffened, and toppled, demolishing a good chunk of the railway station in the process…

* * *

The wrath of the authorities was partially mitigated by the fact that they handed over Eisenwald, though some had already fled, and a few who had had a change of heart, like Kage, willingly handed themselves in. Erigor, once the Stop spell had worn off, had ranted and raved about how his chance to kill the Guild Masters had been stolen from him. Apparently, the real plan was to use Oshibana as a decoy, and then have Erigor flee to the nearby town Clover, where the Guild Masters were having their meeting. He would have trapped any pursuers in Oshibana using his wind magic.

They eventually made it back to Magnolia after giving their statements (well, everyone but Natsu and Happy, having no patience for anything remotely like proper procedure) and enduring the wrath of the authorities. Still, the demolition of the train station was a relatively small price to pay, considering what chaos could have been unleashed by one of Zeref's artifacts in Oshibana…or on Clover.

They had to wait a while longer for Makarov to make it back from his meeting. Erza reiterated her promise to have her sparring match with Natsu before long, and even set a date a few days' hence. However, she seemed to want to talk to Lucy shortly afterwards.

"You acquitted yourself very well. That magic you used was impressive," the magic knight said. "And your plan to destroy Lullaby was…well, good, considering we did not know it would turn into that demon. Was that your most powerful spell?"

"Pretty much, but as you saw, it caused quite a bit of collateral damage, even before I hit the demon proper with it," Lucy said. "And my Trance form boosts my magic and other attributes."

The redhead looked Lucy up and down appraisingly, before she nodded. "While targeting Erigor like that was risky, you took him by surprise, and used what you could to ensure he wasn't a threat. Well done. Especially given what he planned. That being said, word will spread of your abilities. And you're not invincible."

"I know. Believe me, I know that better than anyone here," Lucy said quietly.

Erza frowned at such a pronouncement. "I spoke to Mira. She said that your father is Jude Heartfilia. I apologise if this sounds demeaning, but I would have thought such a lifestyle as yours must have been would have left you less prepared for situations like this."

Lucy shook her head. "Erza…you don't know much about me. One day, I could trust you enough to tell you more. Or maybe if Master Makarov or Mirajane trust you enough, they can tell you. Or Loke."

After a moment, Erza nodded. "I understand. There are things from my past that I do not wish shared. I would prefer to earn your trust than to go behind your back. However, I am curious. Why do you trust Loke enough for him to know your past? I would have thought his lechery would have made you wary of him."

"Let's just say that we have friends in common," Lucy said. "He's a good guy once you get past that, anyway."

"Very well. Given what happened, I am grateful to you for everything you did to help us against Eisenwald. It's rare to have a Celestial Mage who can use such powerful offensive magic in addition to it. And Natsu told me you have healing magic too. That will be useful on further missions."

Lucy chuckled, and when Erza looked askance at her, Lucy said, "You just remind me of someone I knew, a long time ago. Very much a warrior like you. A friend, and a sister, really. Her name was Celes Chere."

"Where is she?" Erza asked.

"Somewhere far away, sadly," Lucy said with a wistful look on her face. "A shame, really. I think you would have gotten along with her swimmingly."

"I'll take your word for it, Lucy," Erza said, nodding at her.

Lucy returned the nod, and found herself sitting, staring into, really, nothing. She thought of her friends she left behind. She wondered how her human self was doing, in a world without magic. And she wondered where her fellow Espers, including her own father, went.

Maybe they went into oblivion. Maybe only she was given the chance to be reborn, given how she only had a brief life as Terra. Maybe she had a purpose here.

Well, she certainly did now. Beating people like Eisenwald was worthwhile. She could hear her friends cheering her on. Locke, Edgar, Sabin, Celes, Cyan, Gau, Shadow, Strago, Relm, Setzer, Mog, Umaro, Gogo…yes, she could hear them…and she smiled to herself.

Still, she had a new life now. And she was determined to live it, not burdened by her past life, but rather, spurred on by it. She would use her magic to help people, and she would do that as part of Fairy Tail…

 **CHAPTER 7 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, Eisenwald has been defeated, and Lucy and Erza are becoming friends. But will the events of Galuna Island cause a rift before their friendship can truly begin?**

 **And yes, I am doing a time-skip over that 'false trial' BS to just before the Galuna Island arc.**

 **Akuma-Heika** **: I'm not sure yet, but I'm leaning towards no, though they may yet appear in some capacity…**

 **No numbered annotations this time!**


	9. Chapter 8: The S-Ranked Mission

**CHAPTER 8:**

 **THE S-RANKED MISSION**

Well, that was a saga. Just before Natsu and Erza's big fight was to begin, some officious official from the Magic Council turned up and arrested Erza on trumped-up charges. It was little more than a farce to show the Council's authority over Fairy Tail, but Natsu was stupid enough to go haring off and confront the Council. Thankfully, that got smoothed over, and all that Erza got was a warning.

Erza, however, wanted to try something, and had handed Lucy a sword, and asked for a sparring session. Lucy decided to humour her, having remembered her sword skills from her life as Terra, though she much preferred to use magic. Erza, however, was impressed by the skills Lucy showed. "So, you know how to use a sword?"

"I prefer to use magic, though. I'm more used to it."

"Even so, your skill, while nowhere near my level, would certainly stand you in good stead in any military," Erza remarked. "You've lived a more eventful life than I thought, Lucy."

Natsu chose that moment to barge in. "Hey, we never got to finish our match!" he snapped.

"Not now, Natsu," Erza muttered.

"You've got time enough for Lucy, you've got time enough to face me!" Natsu roared, before charging at Erza, who promptly Requipped a mallet to send Natsu rolling into a wall.

"Fine, would you like to start?" Erza asked dryly.

Lucy noticed that Makarov seemed to be getting tired, as did the others. In fact, she felt sleepy herself. As everyone began sagging to the floor, Lucy cast an Esuna on herself, just in time. So she, and Makarov, were seemingly the only witnesses to what followed.

A man in a dark cloak, concealing his face with a handkerchief and a bandanna, wielding a halberd, strode into the guild. Lucy almost attacked him, until Makarov said, "Lucy, this is not an enemy. This is Mystogan."

Lucy relaxed slightly. The man acknowledged Lucy with a curt nod, before walking over to the display board. She found herself reminded of the ninja Shadow, and idly wondered if he had a dog like Interceptor too. Mystogan walked up to the board, and plucked a poster from it, displaying a dragon. "I'm going," he said curtly to Makarov.

"Remove the sleep magic as you go!" Makarov snapped.

Mystogan merely recited, as he walked out the door, " _Quinque, quattuor, tres, duo, unus(_ _1)_ …" And then, as he faded into mist outside, the others woke.

As people began complaining about Mystogan, Loke came over to Lucy. "How did you stay awake?"

"Esuna spell. Who was that guy?"

"Mystogan, one of our best mages," Loke said. "Maybe even THE best. Nobody's ever seen what he looks like…apart from you and Makarov, I guess."

"No, I didn't see his face. He was in disguise," Lucy said.

"Well, you at least saw him," Loke said. "When he comes in for a job, he always puts people to sleep with a spell. Only Makarov really knows anything."

"Well, **_I_** know."

The arrogant voice came from the balcony above, revealing an arrogant-looking blonde wearing what looked like headphones with spikes on either side. A scar crossed his right eye, and a lit cigar was in his mouth. "Laxus," Loke muttered. "Another one who may be the strongest here."

"Mystogan's shy, so don't poke your big noses into what doesn't concern you weaklings," Laxus sneered.

"Oh yeah?!" Natsu snarled. "Come fight me right now, arsehole!"

"Why? You can't take down someone as weak as Erza, so what makes you think you have a chance with me?!" Laxus retorted.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Erza asked, her tone chilly.

"It means that I'm the best in this guild."

Lucy sighed, before she intoned, " _Gravija._ " Suddenly, an orb of dark energy surrounded Laxus, bringing him to his knees. "If you're so strong," Lucy said, "why are you kneeling before me?"

Laxus glared down at her, looking about ready to leap down and attack her, before Makarov barked, "Laxus! Stop provoking them! And Lucy, try to make an effort not to attack fellow guild members."

"Oh, was he part of Fairy Tail?" Lucy asked, pretending to look puzzled. "Only, I thought he called us, the people who took down one of Zeref's demonic artifacts, weak. Then again, empty vessels make the most noise, don't they?"

A collective sharp intake of breath in the room, before Laxus glared down at her. "I hope some bandit kills you, bitch, or some demon."

Lucy gathered her energy, and transformed into her Trance form, slowly rising into the air, before meeting his gaze. "I've met scarier _clowns_ ," she sneered, thinking of Kefka. "All I see is an egotistical thug who thinks he's the king of the castle, and who has no place in a guild meant to help people, if he wishes I got murdered. And that's _at best_. Try anything against me, and I will put you down _hard_."

"You got lucky with Lullaby, bitch," Laxus sneered. "And luck doesn't last forever."

"Enough!" Makarov snapped.

"And are you gonna stop me, you decrepit old fuck?" Laxus sneered. "I am better than all of you, and don't you forget it!"

* * *

Afterwards, Lucy muttered to Mirajane, "He's got a hide. Is he really that strong?"

"Sadly, yes. He is one of the few S-ranked wizards here," Mirajane said. "The top floor's job board is tailored to S-Class jobs."

"I see. The most dangerous ones," Lucy mused.

"Yes. Natsu's been wanting to take some for some time, but Makarov pretty much smacks him down when he tries to do one, and with good reason. You have to take the exams to be considered an S-Class wizard."

"I know," Lucy said, grimacing at the thought of the strenuous exams. She could potentially pass them, but even so, it'd seem suspicious for a relative rookie to do that. "But what's with Laxus, anyway? What's his problem?"

"Probably not my story to tell, but…the short version is that his father, Makarov's son, was expelled from the guild. I'm not sure why," Mirajane said, biting her lip.

"And Mystogan?"

"As far as I know, Makarov's the only person who knows for sure about him. In fact, I think you're probably one of the first people to witness him in a while," Mirajane said. "Apart from Mystogan, only four others can take those jobs, including Laxus and Erza." She looked pensive. "But…do you think with your experience from your past life, you could do S-Class jobs?"

"Maybe, but…Earthland's different to back home," Lucy said. "I was definitely S-Class back there…but there are different rules here, and I nearly messed up during that business with Lullaby. If we hadn't acted quickly…"

"But you did. True, Oshibana's station got demolished, but compared to the loss of life that could have ensued…" Mirajane shrugged. "Personally, I think you just need a few more missions under your belt before you can credibly take the exams. But I think you're probably more ready than Natsu…"

* * *

Those words echoed in Lucy's mind when she found Natsu in her apartment, having broken free of the traps she had set, later that night. The hotheaded idiot was working out in her living room, as was Happy, and Lucy scowled. "Go do workouts at your place."

"But we're a team, Lucy!" Natsu protested, proffering a set of pink weights. "Here, I got these for you."

"Aye! You like pink, don't you?" Happy asked.

Lucy's scowl deepened, and she plucked the weight from Natsu's hand, before saying, "X-Zone." The weight disappeared into a dark portal filled with stars.

"Hey! What gives?! We've gotta build up our strength so we can beat Erza and Laxus!" Natsu protested.

"Then train at your place," Lucy retorted. "Or I'll use the same spell on you."

"Don't be like that!" Natsu snapped. "Look, I've made up my mind! We're going on an S-Class job!"

Lucy stared at Natsu after he made that proclamation. "…What," she said flatly.

Happy proffered a flyer, something about a cursed island. "Aye! I snuck up to the board and took it. It was the cheapest job, though it's seven million Jewels!"

"And if we finish it, they'll have to admit we should be S-Class," Natsu said.

Lucy, understandably, palmed her face. She could feel a headache coming on, and its name was Natsu Dragneel. "Natsu, I do not want to deal with this right now. You've just broken the rules of Fairy Tail."

"If we followed the rules, how am I supposed to show people how strong I am? Look, it's at the cursed island of Galuna, see?"

Lucy took the flyer, and peered at it. Well, the reward included a golden Gate Key, which was admittedly tempting, but she shook her head. Her patience was now at its end. "Natsu, I'll put it to you bluntly. You're insane. Do you think they classify these things as S-Class for a joke? Do you think you're invincible?"

Natsu blinked in confusion at Lucy. "I'm insane? You're a great mage, Lucy, so why are you passing up a chance to show it off like this?"

"Look, if Erza asked us to come, yes, I would. But I don't want to jeopardise my standing at Fairy Tail so soon after joining!" Lucy said. "We don't even know what's going on on Galuna!"

Natsu and Happy looked at each other, before nodding. "So, let's find out," Natsu said, before he lunged forward, knocking Lucy down…

* * *

The first thing Lucy noticed on waking up was the smell of the ocean, and the sound of the waves. Then, she heard Gray's voice say, "I think she's coming round."

"Great!" Natsu said, before he gagged, and the sound of him vomiting came from nearby.

Lucy opened her eyes blearily. Her gaze met that of Gray, who seemed to be tied up. Then, with a start, Lucy realised she was the same way. They were both tied up in a boat, Natsu chundering over the side. It was night. Her eyes narrowed, even as she winced from the headache. "Natsu…I am **_not_** happy with you."

"How d'you think I feel?" Gray asked bitterly, shooting his pink-haired comrade a dirty look. "The guild is in an uproar because Happy stole that. Laxus refused to go and bring you back. In fact, he'd love to see us getting killed. Of course, Natsu doesn't understand that it's bad manners to kill your friends when committing suicide(2). I thought you went along with it, but Natsu had you over his shoulder." He looked over at the boat man, a dark-haired bearded man wearing a bandanna and a cloak. "So, seeing as we're committed to this, I want to know, why did you decide to take us after you refused?"

"I saw your magic. My name is Bobo, and years ago, I lived on Galuna, until I escaped its cursed soil," the man said. "To travel there is to mean that you too will be cursed. Are you truly capable of handling it?" He gestured at the island in the distance with his arm, only to reveal a malformed limb.

"Uhh, Bobo, was it? Your arm…" Gray said.

Bobo looked down at his arm, his expression unreadable, before he glanced at the island. "We're nearly there," he remarked.

Lucy and Gray glanced away, with Lucy then turning back to say, "Bobo…huh?" That last was because he had vanished. Happy dived into the water to check for him, but he had vanished. Lucy, on an impulse, looked to the skies, and thought she saw a winged shape flying away.

"Fantastic," Lucy said, glaring at Natsu. "Thanks for kidnapping me, you idiot."

"No problem," Natsu groaned. "Uhh, what's that noise?"

Lucy and Gray looked behind them, and saw a massive wave growing near them. Soon, it rose up, and smashed down on their boat. Everything disappeared in a tumble of water and motion…

* * *

When Lucy woke up, they were on a morning-lit beach, Happy picking at her ropes. Lucy glared at the cat. "Thanks a lot," she said, shrugging off the ropes after Happy loosened them.

"Aye! Always ready to please!" Happy said as Natsu and Gray recovered consciousness. Lucy went over to free Gray, noting the wreckage of the boat they had come over on.

"Gray, do you have any idea why that guy had that weird arm? Do you think it was the curse?" Lucy asked.

"Maybe, though where did he go?" Gray asked.

"I saw something flying…or someone," Lucy said. "What are we going to do?"

Gray sighed. "Well, it's not like we can get back any time soon, not for the moment. And things would be boring if you two got expelled. We might as well check things out."

Lucy sighed quietly. They were stranded here. True, Lucy could use Warp magic to travel back, or fly back, but it meant leaving the others behind, and she wasn't sure how far they had travelled over the ocean. If they were lucky, someone else would be sent after them, maybe Erza, and maybe they could help get them back home. In the meantime…maybe they could find out exactly what Natsu had gotten them into.

And to tell the truth, Lucy knew she could potentially handle this mission, especially once she found out what it was about. So, with an annoyed glare at an utterly unrepentant Natsu and Happy, who didn't seem to understand what they did was wrong, she began trudging down a nearby path into the forest, ready to face what was to come…

 **CHAPTER 8 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, there you have it. Lucy's met Mystogan, locked horns with Laxus, and has been kidnapped by Natsu, which is going to strain things between them.**

 **In case you're wondering why I wrote Natsu in an unflattering light…well, frankly, he's a fucking idiot. While Lucy followed him in canon out of greed for the Gate Key, Lucy here, having another lifetime's worth of memories, is a little more sensible. She would take the Galuna Island job if she knew she was ready, if she was actually S-Rank.**

 **And that was why I had trouble justifying Lucy going to Galuna. While not a rules-following pedant, she realises they are there for a reason. But I needed her over there. And given that Natsu had no qualms about tying up Gray, or breaking into Lucy's apartment time and time again (I personally think Natsu has some mild sociopathic tendencies, given how often he disregards Lucy's personal boundaries, not to mention collateral damage), I don't think he'd have any qualms about kidnapping Lucy if he thinks it'd be good for her.**

 **All of which means, Lucy is probably going to lose her temper at Natsu soon. While I'm not making Natsu into a villain, I am NOT going to hold back with exposing his idiocy and lack of respect for others…**

 **1\. As Mystogan in the manga uses archaic Japanese in his countdown, I decided to use (probably bad) Latin for this fanfic.**

 **2\. Gray is channelling Avon from the** ** _Blake's 7_** **episode** ** _Weapon_** **, where he tells Cally that, while her homeworld of Auron may view things differently, "** ** _but on Earth it is considered ill-mannered to kill your friends while committing suicide._** **"**


End file.
